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Tigers To Promote Ty Madden

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The Tigers will call up right-handed pitching prospect Ty Madden to start on Monday night against the White Sox, manager A.J. Hinch told reporters (including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press). Hinch’s announcement came along with the news that fellow right-hander Alex Faedo has been moved from the paternity list to the 15-day injured list with a right shoulder strain. The Tigers will still need to make a corresponding move (or moves) to free up space for Madden on the 26 and 40-man rosters.

Madden, now 24, joined the Tigers organization as the 32nd overall pick in the 2021 draft. Entering the 2024 season, most sources (including MLB Pipeline, FanGraphs, and Keith Law of The Athletic) ranked him as the second-best pitching prospect in the system, behind only consensus top-100 prospect Jackson Jobe. However, Madden has struggled badly since his promotion to Triple-A in May. He has a 7.97 ERA and 5.28 FIP in 18 starts (79 IP). His 102 strikeouts are impressive, but he has walked 40 batters and given up 17 home runs. While those numbers are hardly encouraging, Madden has looked a little better as of late. He has thrown 29 1/3 innings over his last five starts, and while his 5.83 ERA is poor, his strikeout rate is up, his walk rate is down, and his 2.80 FIP represents a massive improvement.

The Tigers are in the midst of a stretch of 14 games in 14 days, so Madden will provide his new rotation-mates with a breather. That should be helpful for rookies Keider Montero, Bryan Sammons, and Brant Hurter, as well as ace Tarik Skubal, who has already surpassed his previous career high in innings pitched. It is also noteworthy that Madden will actually start the game, per Petzold. The Tigers have been making frequent use of openers lately; Skubal and Montero are the only members of the rotation who have been starting their own contests. That said, Chris McCosky of The Detroit News notes that Hurter will also make a proper start on Tuesday.

This is likely just a spot start for Madden before he heads back to Triple-A or joins Detroit’s bullpen. Casey Mize (60-day IL, hamstring strain) will return from the IL shortly, while Reese Olson (15-day IL, shoulder strain) is beginning the rehab process himself. Still, it makes sense that the Tigers are going to select Madden’s contract, considering they could use the fresh arm and they would have needed to protect from the Rule 5 draft this offseason anyway.

Faedo, 28, has made 37 appearances for the Tigers this season, including six as an opener. Over 57 1/3 innings, he has a 3.61 ERA and a 4.28 SIERA. According to Hinch, Faedo felt some soreness in his shoulder before he went on the paternity list, and the pain returned when he tried to play catch after the birth of his daughter (per McCosky). While it’s not entirely clear how serious the injury is, Hinch expressed hope that it could be “just minor inflammation.”

Marlins Claim Mike Baumann

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The Marlins announced that right-hander Mike Baumann has been claimed off waivers.  The Angels designated Baumann for assignment earlier this week.

The claim puts Baumann in position for a unique piece of baseball history, as he could join Oliver Drake as the only players to ever play for five different teams over the course of a single season.  Baumann has a 5.24 ERA over 44 2/3 innings split over stints with the Angels (9 1/3 IP), Giants (two-thirds of an inning), Mariners (16 1/3 IP), and Orioles (18 1/3 IP), and just one appearance with Miami would allow Baumann to get a piece of Drake’s record.

A third-round pick for the Orioles in the 2017 draft, Baumann had spent his entire career in Baltimore’s organization before he was designated for assignment in May, thus sparking his busy summer of transactions.  This is the first time Baumann has left DFA limbo via waiver claim this season, as his first three designations were resolved by trades.  Baumann is out of minor league options, which is why he has been perpetually DFA’ed rather than simply optioned to the minors.

Baumann is a hard thrower with mid-90s velocity, and he had a 3.46 ERA over 64 2/3 relief innings for the Orioles in 2023.  Between this resume and some good minor league numbers (including high strikeout totals), it’s easy to see why various teams have had interest in Baumann, even if he has struggled since leaving Baltimore.  The Marlins are both rebuilding and have been hit hard by pitching injuries this season, so Baumann should have a decent chance at getting some innings and perhaps finally staying put on a roster.

Brett Baty To Miss Roughly 4-6 Weeks Due To Finger Fracture

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The Mets announced that infield prospect Brett Baty suffered a fracture in his left index finger last Thursday, while playing for Triple-A Syracuse.  Baty was hit by a pitch during a check swing, and the team estimated a recovery timeline of 4-6 weeks.  This means that Baty’s 2024 season could well be over, barring some quicker-than-expected healing or a return at the very end of September.

The injury adds to what has been an overall disappointing season for the third baseman, as Baty hit only .229/.306/.327 over 171 plate appearances in the major leagues.  This brings Baty’s career totals to 15 home runs and a .215/.282/.325 slash line in 602 PA and 169 games — about the equivalent of one full season since he made his MLB debut in 2022.  It isn’t a huge sample size, and the 24-year-old Baty would hardly be the first star prospect to have some initial struggles before going on to have a successful big league career.

However, more has been expected from the former 12th overall pick, and Baty’s place as the Mets’ third baseman of the future has now seemingly been filled by Mark Vientos, who has hit tremendously well in his first extended taste of MLB playing time.  Pete Alonso’s possible departure in free agency this winter could conceivably leave first base open so Vientos and Baty could both be part of the 2025 lineup, yet while Vientos seems to be cementing his spot in New York’s future plans, the jury is still out on Baty.  He drew plenty of attention prior to the trade deadline, but there isn’t yet any indication that the Mets are open to moving on from Baty.

While Baty didn’t have much left to prove against minor league pitching, his .262/.358/.528 slash line over 254 Triple-A plate appearances indicated that he was in a groove at the plate, and could’ve potentially carried this good form into a September call-up with the Mets.  It would’ve been interesting to see how Baty’s development would’ve been weighed against the Mets’ efforts to land a wild card spot, yet it now may be a moot point given the finger injury.

Orioles Claim Brooks Kriske, Designate Nick Vespi For Assignment

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The Orioles announced that right-hander Brooks Kriske was claimed off waivers from the Reds, then assigned to Triple-A Norfolk.  As reported by MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko (X link) earlier today, left-hander Nick Vespi was designated for assignment to create an opening on Baltimore’s 40-man roster.

Cincinnati designed Kriske for assignment earlier this week, and the righty now returns to one of his former teams.  Kriske posted a 12.27 ERA over four games and 3 2/3 innings with the Orioles in 2021, before the O’s released him following the season so Kriske could sign with the Yokohama BayStars of Nippon Professional Baseball.  After his season in Japan, Kriske returned to North America on a minors deal with the Royals and delivered a 4.05 ERA in 6 2/3 innings in 2023, before heading back to NPB for a brief stint with the Seibu Lions.

Kriske then signed a minors deal with the Reds this past winter, and didn’t see any big league action despite a brief stint on Cincinnati’s active roster back in June.  He had a 3.10 ERA and eye-opening 36.7% strikeout rate in 49 1/3 innings at Triple-A Louisville, albeit with the red flags of an inflated 14.8% walk rate and a very favorable .205 BABIP.  The numbers essentially continue the story of Kriske’s career, as the 30-year-old has long struggled with his control while also missing a lot of bats.

The resume was intriguing enough for the Orioles to bring Kriske in for another look in the organization, though if he does get called up to the majors, Kriske lacks some flexibility since he is out of minor league options.  Vespi is in his final option year, and he has been recalled and demoted from Triple-A the maximum five times this season, which undoubtedly factored into Baltimore’s decision to send the southpaw to the DFA wire.

Vespi has frequently been shuttled back and forth between Baltimore and Norfolk during his three Major League seasons, as the O’s haven’t felt compelled to give Vespi an extended look despite some pretty solid performance.  Vespi has a 3.88 ERA over his 53 1/3 career MLB innings, including a 2.92 ERA in 12 1/3 frames in 2024.  In something of the inverse of Kriske, Vespi is a control specialist (5.9% walk rate in the bigs) who doesn’t record many strikeouts (20.9K%).

Strangely, Vespi’s walk rate has gone through the roof during his time at Triple-A this season, with a huge 15.9% walk rate contributing to his 7.71 ERA over 37 1/3 innings in Norfolk.  Both the walk rate and the ERA seem like outliers against Vespi’s otherwise solid career record at the Triple-A level, and other teams might not be dissuaded from putting in a waiver claim to obtain his rights.

Mets Place Paul Blackburn On 15-Day Injured List

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The Mets announced that right-hander Paul Blackburn has been placed on the 15-day injured list (retroactive to August 24) due to a right hand bruise.  Righty Huascar Brazoban was called up from Triple-A to take Blackburn’s spot on the active roster.

Acquired in a deadline trade from the Athletics, Blackburn has an inconsistent 5.18 ERA over five starts with New York, as he has mixed three quality outings amidst a pair of rough performances.  His former Oakland team tagged him with six earned runs over four innings on August 13, and Blackburn was charged with five ER over 2 1/3 innings against the Padres on Friday.  The tough night was made worse when Blackburn was hit in the hand by a David Peralta line drive, which forced him out of the game.

On the plus side, a CT scan revealed only a bruise, and Blackburn was initially hopeful he could avoid the injured list altogether.  However, a throwing session today resulted in “a lot of stiffness and soreness,” as Blackburn told Newsday’s Tim Healey and other reporters.  The decision was then made to put Blackburn on the IL to give him time to fully recover, and the right-hander feels he can return after just the minimum 15 days.

The Mets have an off-day tomorrow but then play nine games in as many days before their next break on September 5.  At least one start will need to covered to account for Blackburn’s turn in the rotation, and Tylor Megill is probably the most logical candidate to be summoned from Triple-A for a spot outing or two.  The Monday off-day gives the Mets some time to plan how they’ll approach Blackburn’s absence, and perhaps see if any further discomfort or swelling provides any change to his timeline.

Padres Call Up Lake Bachar For MLB Debut

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12:38PM: The Padres officially promoted Bachar, and optioned right-hander Logan Gillaspie to Triple-A.  Matthew Batten was also outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers; Batten was designated for assignment earlier this week.

9:21AM: The Padres will add right-hander Lake Bachar to the active roster prior to today’s game with the Mets, according to Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune (X link).  Bachar was added to the 40-man roster earlier this month, so the Padres will just have to make one corresponding move to free up space on the 26-man.

The 40-man roster placement came about due to an opt-out clause Bachar triggered in his minor league deal, as the Padres selected that contract in order to keep him in the organization.  The 29-year-old righty was a fifth-round pick for the Padres in 2016, and is now seemingly in line to make his Major League debut in his ninth pro season.  Bachar’s resume consists of seven years on the field plus two lost years in 2020-21 — the pandemic wiped out the 2020 minor league season, and Bachar underwent a Tommy John surgery that sidelined him for all of 2021.

Understandably, Bachar showed some rust when he returned to action in 2022, but he rebounded with a 2.69 ERA over 60 1/3 relief innings for Double-A San Antonio in 2023.  This earned Bachar his first promotion to Triple-A this season, and he has produced a 4.12 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, and 10.6% walk rate across 67 2/3 innings for the El Paso affiliate.  Bachar has allowed 11 homers this year, but all things considered, his numbers have been pretty decent for a fly-ball pitcher in a very hitter-friendly league.

As Saunders noted in another piece back in April, Bachar’s turn-around in 2023 was aided by his development of a splitter.  Adding this third pitch along with his 94-97mph fastball and a slider with a lot of horizontal break put Bachar on the path that has now brought him to San Diego’s MLB roster.  Even if this might be a “cup of coffee” type of call-up to get a fresh arm into the Padres’ bullpen for a few days, Bachar can officially call himself a big leaguer once he gets into a game.

Royals Place Hunter Renfroe On 10-Day Injured List

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The Royals announced that outfielder Hunter Renfroe was placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right hamstring strain.  Outfielder Tyler Gentry was called up from Triple-A Omaha to take Renfroe’s spot on the active roster.

Renfroe was subbed out in the ninth inning of yesterday’s 11-2 Royals loss to the Phillies, and the early exit didn’t seem unusual given the game’s lopsided nature.  However, manager Matt Quatraro told reporters (including MLB.com’s Anne Rogers) today that Renfroe had a minor tweak of the hamstring that led the team to put him on the IL as something of a precautionary measure.  Bringing Gentry up also keeps the Royals at full roster strength during a crowded section of the schedule — today is the third game in a stretch of 14 games in 13 days for Kansas City, counting tomorrow’s double-header with the Guardians.

This is the second time Renfroe has been on the IL this season, as he previously had a minimal 10-game absence after suffering a bone bruise on his left foot in June.  Since returning from that prior IL stint, Renfroe has hit a respectable .274/.351/.433 with six home runs over 185 plate appearances, helping get himself on track after an ice-cold start in the first two-plus months of the season.  That rough start is still dragging down Renfroe’s overall numbers, as he has a below-average 97 wRC+ from a .237/.312/.398 slash line over 372 PA.

Given how much better Renfroe has been swinging the bat over the last two months, the Royals can ill-afford to lose their starting right fielder for any lengthy amount of time as the club competes for a playoff spot.  The left-handed hitting Adam Frazier has gotten the next highest amount of right-field playing time as a complement to Renfroe’s righty bat, and K.C. could opt to give Dairon Blanco more time in right along with Frazier.

Gentry also figures to be part of the mix in his first taste of Major League action.  Gentry was a third-round pick for the Royals in the 2020 draft and he has spent the last two seasons at Triple-A, hitting .254/.360/.424 with 29 homers and 19 steals (out of 23 attempts) over 995 plate appearances with Omaha.  Kansas City added him to the 40-man roster last November in advance of the Rule 5 Draft.

MLB Pipeline ranks the 25-year-old Gentry 15th on their list of Royals prospects, with a 60-grade throwing arm that has resulted in most of his minor league career spent in the right field position.  Gentry has had a tendency to hit better later in the season during his time in the minors, so he could be peaking at the right time for his debut in the Show, or he might naturally need another adjustment period as he sees Major League pitching for the first time.  Gentry is considered more of a contact hitter than a power bat, which doesn’t entirely fit the profile of a slugging corner outfield type.

Pirates Select Brady Feigl

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The Pirates announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Brady Feigl from Triple-A Indianapolis.  Feigl will take the 26-man and 40-man roster left vacant by Hunter Stratton, who was placed on the 60-day injured list after suffering a season-ending left knee patella tendon rupture in yesterday’s game.

The call-up marks the end of a long and unlikely journey for Feigl, who is now on the verge of making his MLB debut at age 33.  Feigl wasn’t drafted coming out of Mount St. Mary’s University, and he spent the 2014-19 seasons pitching in the Braves’ and Rangers’ farm systems with some level of success, though a Tommy John surgery cost him almost all of both the 2015 and 2016 campaigns.

Between the pandemic-canceled 2020 minor league season and then more injuries in 2021, Feigl spent two years away from pro ball before resurfacing in the independent Atlantic League.  He pitched well enough in two Atlantic League seasons to land a minor league contract with the Pirates for 2024, and he has delivered a 3.83 ERA, 29% strikeout rate, and 6.1% walk rate over 51 2/3 innings for Indianapolis.  A .333 BABIP and an inflated 19% homer rate have somewhat inflated Feigl’s ERA, but he has otherwise pitched well in his return to affiliated baseball.

Feigl isn’t exactly a prospect given his age, and he might be just a short-term add to the Pirates’ bullpen in the wake of Stratton’s sudden and unexpected injury.  Still, getting onto a big league roster represents a tremendous achievement for Feigl after all of the twists and setbacks of his pro career, and he’ll get at least some opportunity to show what he can do against MLB hitters.

Pirates Place Hunter Stratton 60-Day IL After Patella Tendon Rupture

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11:03AM: Stratton’s season is officially over, as the Pirates placed him on the 60-day injured list.

7:38AM: Pirates right-hander Hunter Stratton suffered a left knee patella tendon rupture during the fourth inning of the Bucs’ 10-2 loss to the Reds on Saturday.  Stratton had just entered the game in relief of Jake Woodford, and his fourth pitch of the appearance was a wild pitch that evaded catcher Joey Bart.  As Jonathan India raced home to score from third base, Bart’s toss to Stratton (covering home plate) bounced off Stratton’s glove and rolled to the backstop.  While in pursuit of the loose ball, Stratton stumbled and jammed his left leg into the stone wall behind the plate.

Stratton was down for several minutes in the aftermath of the play, and had to leave the field on a cart.  Post-game, manager Derek Shelton told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review’s Justin Guerriero and other reporters that Stratton was receiving an MRI and that the situation “did not look good.  I would say this is going to be significant time [out].”

Official word on Stratton’s status should come today when he is inevitably placed on the injured list, but between the nature of the knee injury and the late date on the baseball calendar, it would certainly seem like Stratton’s 2024 season is over.  The question now is how much time the 27-year-old will need to recover, and how much of his 2025 campaign could be impacted.

A 16th-round selection for the Pirates in the 2017 draft, Stratton didn’t make his MLB debut until 2023, when he had a 2.25 ERA over 12 innings as a September call-up.  Pittsburgh non-tendered Stratton following the season but then re-signed him to a new minor league contract, and he was part of the club’s Opening Day roster this year.  The righty’s first full Major League season has included a six-week stint on the IL due to a triceps strain, and now this flukish patella tendon rupture that will bring his year to a close.

When healthy, Stratton has pitched respectably well, posting a 3.58 ERA over 37 2/3 relief innings.  While his strikeout rate is a modest 20.9%, Stratton has done an excellent job of inducing soft contact, and he has avoided free passes to the tune of a 4.4% walk rate.  The latter stat is the most significant part of Stratton’s development into a big leaguer, as he had a 12.98% walk rate across his 392 career innings in the Pirates’ farm system.

Mets Release Eddie Rosario

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The Mets have released outfielder Eddie Rosario, The Athletic’s Will Sammon reports (via X).  Rosario signed a minor league deal just 10 days ago, but he’ll now leave the organization after seven games with Triple-A Syracuse.

Rosario didn’t have much success in his brief time in Syracuse, as he posted just a .444 OPS with eight strikeouts over 30 plate appearances.  It continues what has been an altogether rough 2024 season for the former NLCS MVP, as Rosario has hit .175/.215/.316 over 319 combined PA at the big league level with the Nationals and Braves.

Washington signed Rosario to a minor league deal last winter, and the Nationals are still on the hook for most of the remainder of Rosario’s $2MM salary.  (The Braves only covered the prorated portion of the Major League minimum salary for Rosario’s 24 games on their roster.)  Signing Rosario to a minors deal was therefore a no-risk move for the Mets as a way to seeing if a change of scenery could spark the veteran, but New York will now also move on from Rosario’s services.

While his results this season don’t exactly inspire confidence, it is worth remembering that Rosario was still a league-average hitter in the majors just last season, when he hit .255/.305/.450 with 21 home runs over 516 with Atlanta.  It speaks to the overall hot-and-cold nature of Rosario’s big league career that he has an exact 100 OPS+ over his 10 MLB seasons, plus a 97 wRC+ that checks in slightly below the average mark.

This track record means that it wouldn’t be surprising to see another club take a flier on Rosario for a minor league deal.  Signing with a new team prior to September 1 would make Rosario eligible for postseason play, as his past success in the playoffs makes this detail noteworthy even if Rosario hasn’t looked worthy of a 26-man roster spot, let alone a spot on a postseason roster.  Given his struggles, Rosario might just be looking to catch on with any team (contender or non-contender) that can offer him a path back to the majors, and a chance to salvage something from a rough season.

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