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Marlins Designate Emmanuel Rivera For Assignment
The Marlins announced Monday that they’ve designated infielder Emmanuel Rivera for assignment and optioned righty George Soriano to Triple-A Jacksonville. Their roster spots will go to right-hander Adam Oller and second baseman/left fielder Connor Norby, whose previously reported promotions to the big leagues are now official.
Acquired in exchange for cash after the D-backs designated him for assignment, Rivera appeared in 96 games for Miami and tallied 229 plate appearances. He hit just .214/.296/.269 in that time, clocking in 39% worse than a league-average hitter, by measure of wRC+. The 28-year-old provided plus defense at third base, as he’s done with the Royals and D-backs throughout his three prior MLB seasons, and he filled in occasionally at first base as well. The slick glovework at the hot corner was no longer enough to outweigh a trio of slash stats all sitting shy of .300, however.
Rivera is out of minor league options, so the Marlins didn’t have the ability to send him to the minors without removing him from the 40-man roster. Rivera will reach three years of big league service time tomorrow, while he’s in DFA limbo, so he’d have been arbitration-eligible and due a raise this offseason had the Fish opted to keep him on the roster. That would’ve made him a non-tender candidate anyhow, but Rivera will now be available to the other 29 clubs via waivers. If he clears, he’ll have exactly enough service time to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
With Rivera jettisoned from the roster and Norby on the way up, it seems quite possible that defensive-minded second baseman Otto Lopez will now slide over to third base, with Norby taking frequent reps at second base. Lopez has graded out brilliantly at second base but provided scant offensive production. However, Lopez is younger, more versatile, more controllable and still has a minor league option remaining, so of the two defensive-minded righty-hitting infielders it’ll be Lopez rather than Rivera who keeps his spot on the roster.
Submit Your Questions For This Week’s Episode Of The MLB Trade Rumors Podcast
On the MLB Trade Rumors podcast, we regularly answer questions from our readers and listeners. With the next episode set for Wednesday, we’re looking for MLBTR’s audience to submit their questions and we’ll pick a few to answer.
The 2024 season is coming into its final few weeks, with plenty left to be decided. If you have a question about a past transaction, a look ahead to the offseason or anything else baseball related, we’d love to hear from you! You can email your questions to mlbtrpod@gmail.com.
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Marlins To Promote Connor Norby
The Marlins are calling up infield/outfield prospect Connor Norby to make his team debut, as first reported by Isaac Azout of Fish On First. He’ll presumably receive regular playing time down the stretch.
Norby, 24, came to Miami alongside outfielder Kyle Stowers in the trade sending left-hander Trevor Rogers to Baltimore. While Stowers went right onto the big league roster (and has struggled considerably in his first 16 games), Norby was the more highly regarded young player of the two. He’s a bat-first second base/left field prospect who’s hit well at every minor league stop, including this year in Triple-A, where he’s batting .293/.382/.496 with 17 homers, 24 doubles, a triple, 13 steals (in 16 tries) and a 12% walk rate. His 28% strikeout rate in Triple-A this season is admittedly a red flag, but Norby hasn’t had major strikeout concerns in the past.
It’s worth pointing out that Norby’s production has dropped off sharply since the trade, though he’s generally still holding his own outside of a dip in power, hitting .271/.338/.373 in 67 plate appearances with the Marlins’ affiliate in Jacksonville. Even still, Norby’s aggregate production in Triple-A between the two organizations has been 28% better than league-average, by measure of wRC+, and the Marlins have little incentive not to see what they have in a player who could be a core piece moving forward.
Among the 30 big league teams, Miami ranks 27th in terms of production from its second basemen (again, per wRC+) — and that’s including the 144 plate appearances Luis Arraez received before being traded to San Diego (during which he batted .293/.343/.368). Otto Lopez has seen the bulk of the playing time at the keystone since that trade, but he’s batting just .236/.270/.316 on the season, making him one of the least-impactful hitters in the entire league.
Lopez has provided huge value with his glove, but he can still impact that game defensively in a utility role while Miami gives a legitimate audition to Norby — a former top-100 prospect who’s looked largely MLB-ready for some time but fell down the Orioles’ depth chart due to the glut of touted young infielders present in Baltimore (e.g. Gunnar Henderson, Jordan Westburg, Jackson Holliday, Coby Mayo). There’s far less competition in this stripped-down version of the Marlins, which president of baseball operations Peter Bendix is rebuilding from the ground up. MLB.com currently ranks Norby third among Miami farmhands, while Baseball America pegs him sixth.
Norby’s pending promotion gives him nearly six weeks to make his case for a 2025 role. It’s a not a true sink-or-swim test, of course. Norby only turned 24 in June and is in the first of three minor league option years. Even with a poor showing down the stretch, he’d still be in the mix to earn a spot on the roster next spring. He won’t lose his place in the team’s future plans with a so-so team debut, but he can likely go out and cement himself in their ’25 plans with a productive run. Miami currently controls Norby all the way through the 2030 season, and he’s not currently scheduled to be arbitration-eligible until the 2027-28 offseason.
The Opener: Dodgers, MRIs, Pirates
With just six weeks until the 2024 regular season comes to a close, here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on around the baseball world throughout the day today:
1. Dodgers roster shuffle incoming:
The Dodgers have plenty of questions that need to be answered before they take the field in L.A. opposite the Mariners at 7:10pm local time. Most pressing among those is the status of superstar first baseman Freddie Freeman, who is scheduled to undergo a CT scan today to evaluate a right middle finger injury that’s currently keeping him from gripping a bat. If the 145 wRC+ slugger ends up requiring a trip to the injured list, that could impact the club’s plans regarding Max Muncy. Muncy was originally expected to be activated from the 60-day injured list tomorrow, but Dodgers brass have indicated that the club could activate him a day early depending on the needs of the club in the aftermath of Freeman’s injury.
Activating Muncy would requiring the club to clear space on both the 40-man and active rosters to accommodate the 33-year-old’s return to action. One 40-man roster spot can easily be opened by transferring right-hander River Ryan to the 60-day IL ahead of his impending Tommy John surgery, but that spot on the 40-man is already expected to go to Tommy Edman, who the Dodgers plan to activate today regardless of the decisions made regarding Muncy and Freeman. Ryan is the club’s only obvious 60-day IL candidate as things stand, meaning the club will likely have to designate someone for assignment to bring both Edman and Muncy back into the fold.
2. Several players undergoing MRIs:
Yesterday saw a number of notable players suffer potentially serious injuries, with each expected to undergo an MRI today to determine the severity of their respective issues. Rays closer Pete Fairbanks is already expected to hit the shelf due to a lat strain, but today’s MRI could decide whether the hard-throwing righty returns to action this season. The Braves and third baseman Austin Riley are facing some uncertainty regarding the 27-year-old’s status after initial imaging following a hit-by-pitch to Riley’s right hand and wrist was inconclusive. The Braves are expected to use today’s day off to determine whether or not Riley will require a trip to the IL.
It seems likely that Padres shortstop Ha-Seong Kim will miss at least some time due to the jammed shoulder he suffered during yesterday afternoon’s game, though the Padres fortunately have a deep infield mix that features Manny Machado, Xander Bogaerts, Jake Cronenworth, Luis Arraez, Donovan Solano, and Tyler Wade, allowing them to handle the potential loss better than most clubs. It’s a similar situation in New York regarding outfielder Brandon Nimmo, who exited yesterday’s game due to shoulder soreness and is the fourth regular scheduled for an MRI today. Nimmo’s injury came the very same day that the Mets activated veteran outfielder Starling Marte, so even if Nimmo misses time they’ll have a fairly well-stocked outfield with Marte, Jesse Winker, and Harrison Bader as starting-caliber options.
3. Pirates roster move incoming:
The Pirates are expected to select the contract of outfielder Billy McKinney this evening. Pittsburgh’s outfield lost Joshua Palacios and Andrew McCutchen to the injured list, while Jack Suwinski has been optioned to the minors due to lackluster performance in the majors this year. McKinney, a veteran of parts of six big league seasons who put together a roughly league-average performance with the Yankees in a part-time role last year, has impressed at Triple-A and is currently slashing .295/.396/.450 through 40 games. The Pirates will need to make room for the 29-year-old on both the 40-man and active rosters. With no obvious 60-day IL candidates currently on the shelf for the Pirates, it seems likely the club will have to designate a player for assignment in order to bring McKinney into the fold.
AL Notes: Verlander, Garcia, Buxton, Paddack, Rangers, Skubal
Justin Verlander “felt strong” during a bullpen session today in Houston, Astros manager Joe Espada told reporters (including Matt Kawahara of the Houston Chronicle), which should line Verlander up to return to the rotation on Wednesday when the Astros face the Red Sox. A neck strain has kept Verlander from pitching in the majors since June 9, and he has amassed only 57 innings this season due both this current ailment and a bout of shoulder inflammation coming out of Spring Training. However, Verlander has completed two minor league rehab outings and today’s bullpen session looks like the final checkpoint on his path to recovery.
While things are looking promising for Verlander, Luis Garcia is more of a question mark. The Athletic’s Chandler Rome wrote (via X) that as of Friday, Garcia hadn’t yet resumed throwing since he was shut down due to soreness over two weeks ago. This is the second time Garcia has hit a setback in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and since Garcia went under the knife in May 2023, a normal rehab timeline would’ve had him ready to return to the majors by this point over 15 months past his procedure date. Though the Astros have said Garcia might return as a reliever rather than as a starter, he is running short on time to fully ramp up his readiness to rejoin Houston’s pitching staff in any capacity.
More from around the American League…
- Twins athletic trainer Nick Paparesta updated reporters (including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes) about several injured Minnesota players on Saturday, including Byron Buxton and Chris Paddack. Buxton received a cortisone shot in his inflamed right hip and recently worked out in a pool, so Paparesta feels “we’re kind of heading in the right direction.” This comes as a relief given Buxton’s long history of injury problems, including a more serious hip issue in 2022 that Paparesta feels may have created scar tissue related to Buxton’s current discomfort. As for Paddack, he is set to undergo an MRI on August 27, which will be his second scan since a left forearm strain sent him to the 15-day injured list on July 17. More will be known on Paddack’s timeline if the next MRI comes back clean, and he has already started playing games of catch in preparation to return to Minnesota’s staff before the season is over.
- Three of the Rangers‘ injured veteran starters took steps in their recoveries over the weekend, as Max Scherzer threw a bullpen session today and Jacob deGrom and Jon Gray each threw three-inning simulated games on Saturday. Gray seems to be the closest to returning, as he told MLB.com that he could return as a reliever during the Rangers’ series with the Pirates that begins tomorrow, if he isn’t lined up for a proper start during a series with the Guardians that gets underway Friday. A right groin strain sent Gray to the 15-day IL on July 29, while deGrom could begin a Double-A rehab assignment this week in his first game action since undergoing Tommy John surgery in June 2023. Scherzer hasn’t pitched since July 30 due to shoulder fatigue, and Texas manager Bruce Bochy said it hasn’t yet been decided if Scherzer will also embark on a rehab assignment next, or if he’ll first take part in a live batting practice session.
- Tarik Skubal had another quality start tonight in the Tigers‘ 3-2 win over the Yankees, as the star southpaw limited New York to one run (on three hits and four walks) over six innings of work. Skubal is up to a career-high 155 1/3 innings pitched, and manager A.J. Hinch told MLB Network’s Jon Morosi and other reporters that Sunday “could very well be his last start on regular rest” this season. Since Detroit is all but out of the wild card race, the team has no real reason to put too many extra miles on Skubal’s arm, though naturally the team isn’t going to shut him down completely as he pursues the AL Cy Young Award.
NL Injury Notes: Kim, Marte, Nimmo
In what might be remembered as a pivotal day in the National League postseason race, all three wild-card teams and the top club below the playoff line lost a key member of their lineup to injury. We’ve already covered Austin Riley‘s hand/wrist injury earlier tonight on MLBTR, but let’s look at some other concerning injuries for the Padres, Diamondbacks, and Mets…
- Ha-Seong Kim will undergo an MRI after suffering what the Padres described as a jammed shoulder in today’s game. Kim hurt himself on a dive back to first base on a pickoff attempt in the third inning, and immediately left the game in obvious discomfort. Jeff Sanders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes that Kim was briefly wearing a sling, but didn’t have the sling on when speaking with the media post-game. “It doesn’t feel too good at the moment…But I’m just trying to stay optimistic and try to come back as soon as possible,” Kim said via his interpreter. Taking over as the Padres’ full-time shortstop this season, Kim has delivered strong defense and roughly league-average (102 wRC+) offense, hitting .233/.330/.370 over 470 plate appearances with 11 homers and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts. As Sanders notes, former shortstop Xander Bogaerts, utilityman Tyler Wade, or possibly Jake Cronenworth could be candidates to take over at shortstop if Kim is facing a trip to the injured list. In the more long-term view, Kim is also slated to hit free agency this winter.
- Ketel Marte has been battling a sore ankle for over a week, and had to leave today’s game after aggravating the injury during a pinch-hit appearance in the ninth inning. The Diamondbacks sat Marte for three games earlier this week and he wasn’t in today’s starting lineup in order to further help keep him fresh, but Marte hurt himself on a check swing during the second pitch of his at-bat off the bench. Manager Torey Lovullo told MLB.com’s Brian Murphy and other media after the game that Marte “just needs a little bit of rest” and that “I think we’re in a good spot” with the injury, though the skipper isn’t sure when Marte will be back in the lineup. An NL MVP candidate this season, Marte has been the driver of Arizona’s offense with 30 homers and a .298/.370/.560 slash line over an even 500 PA. Losing him for any amount of time isn’t ideal in a tight playoff race, but since the D’Backs have off-days upcoming on August 22 and 26, a 10-day IL stint now would allow for Marte to heal up while minimizing the amount of games he’d actually miss.
- After making a diving catch and landing on his right shoulder in the seventh inning of today’s 3-2 Mets loss to the Marlins, Brandon Nimmo felt soreness in the shoulder during his at-bat in the bottom half of the frame, as he told the New York Post’s Mike Puma and other reporters. Nimmo was replaced in left field for the eighth inning, and he’ll undergo an MRI tomorrow to determine the extent of his injury. The outfielder missed time due to a right shoulder sprain right at the end of the 2023 season and was known for being plagued by injuries earlier in his career, but Nimmo has been quite durable over the last three years, playing in 419 of a possible 448 games since Opening Day 2022. Despite some very streaky production at the plate this season, Nimmo still has a 119 wRC+ from a .229/.343/.414 slash line, 11 stolen bases, and 18 homers, including a long ball in today’s game before his injury. With Starling Marte just back from the IL today, New York’s outfield was seemingly back at full strength, but now Jesse Winker, Tyrone Taylor, and Jeff McNeil could all be cycled into left field if Nimmo has to visit the injured list himself.
Braves Notes: Riley, Lopez
Initial x-rays and a CT scan on Austin Riley‘s right wrist and hand were “inconclusive” after the third baseman was hit by a Jack Kochanowicz pitch in today’s game with the Angels, Braves manager Brian Snitker told reporters (including Justin Toscano of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution). Riley will undergo an MRI tomorrow during the Braves’ off-day, as Snitker said the team’s own medical staff wants to fully explore Riley’s status.
It could be viewed as an ominous sign that the first set of tests didn’t definitively say whether or not Riley had suffered a break or a fracture, but it also stands to reason that the club would want to be as careful as possible with one of its star players. Since we’re in the middle of August, a more serious type of injury could end Riley’s season entirely, including both the regular season and whatever postseason run the Braves might yet enjoy.
Just getting to the playoffs has been a lot more difficult than expected for Atlanta, as injuries and an unexpectedly average offense have contributed to a lot of inconsistency. The Braves are still 66-58 and in possession of the final NL wild card slot, but they hold only a two-game lead over the Mets for that wild card berth, and the Phillies remain seven games ahead of Atlanta in the NL East race. After bursting out of the gates to an 18-6 record in their first 24 games, the Braves have since posted a sub-.500 record (48-52) while weathering season-ending injuries to such stars as Ronald Acuna Jr. and Spencer Strider. The rest of Ozzie Albies‘ 2024 campaign is also in jeopardy due to a fractured wrist, and both Jorge Soler and Travis d’Arnaud have been out of the lineup in recent days.
Riley also missed close to two weeks earlier this season due to an intercostal strain, though the Braves made the curious decision to not actually place him on the 10-day IL during that stretch, leaving the team short-handed for an extended period of time. The injury contributed to a very slow start to the season for Riley, but his bat has come to life as the season has gone on, with 16 home runs and .275/.337/.531 slash line over his last 285 plate appearances.
Obviously there’s no easy way for the Braves to replace such All-Star levels of production if Riley is facing a lengthy IL stint, and it’ll be even trickier to fill Riley’s spot at third base now that the trade deadline has passed. Luke Williams took over at the hot corner today, and such veterans as Leury Garcia and Zack Short are at Triple-A as additional depth.
As uncertain as Riley’s situation may be, some injury relief is on the horizon for the rotation, as Reynaldo Lopez was announced as the starter for Atlanta’s game on Tuesday, when the Braves start an important series against the Phillies. Lopez will return after missing just slightly beyond the 15-day minimum after he was placed on the IL due to forearm inflammation on August 2.
Lopez’s start on July 28 was cut short by his injury, but tests revealed no structural damage. While even less-serious types of forearm problems can linger, Lopez looks like he has been able to recover in pretty short order, and he got up to 71 pitches in a Triple-A rehab outing last Tuesday.
Signed to a three-year, $30MM free agent deal last winter, Lopez has excelled in his return to starting pitching. Though he has worked almost exclusively as a reliever during the 2022-23 seasons with the White Sox, Angels, and Guardians, Lopez has posted a 2.06 ERA over 104 2/3 innings for Atlanta this season. Between Lopez, Cy Young Award candidate Chris Sale, and solid performances from Max Fried, Charlie Morton, and rookie Spencer Schwellenbach, the Braves have limited the damage after Strider was lost for the year.
Pirates To Select Billy McKinney’s Contract
The Pirates will select the contract of outfielder Billy McKinney prior to their game Monday with the Rangers, according to Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (X link). The Bucs will need to make another transaction to create space for McKinney on the 40-man roster.
McKinney was acquired from the Yankees last December, and this will be his first stint on Pittsburgh’s big league roster this season. His first official in-game appearance will make it seven straight seasons of MLB action for McKinney, ranging from his two games with the Blue Jays in 2020 to his career-high 116 games and 300 plate appearances split between the Brewers, Mets, and Dodgers during the 2021 season. Most recently, McKinney suited up in 48 games with the Yankees in 2023, hitting .227/.320/.406 over 147 PA.
The left-handed hitting McKinney will add some balance to a Pirates roster that mostly tilts to the right side, and whatever playing time he receives will probably come when the Bucs want to give Michael A. Taylor or Bryan De La Cruz a break against certain right-handed pitchers. McKinney has spent most of his career as a corner outfielder but he also gotten some time in center field and even at first base, adding to his defensive portfolio in an effort to make himself more valuable to teams.
Pittsburgh’s roster is in a bit of flux after Andrew McCutchen was lost to the 10-day injured list yesterday. While McKinney certainly won’t replicate McCutchen’s production or presence in the clubhouse, his addition brings a bit more experience to an overall young Bucs team.
NL West Notes: Black, Treinen, Graterol, Rodriguez, Jones
As the Rockies trudge through another rough year, there isn’t yet any indication over whether or not manager Bud Black could be returning for his ninth season. GM Bill Schmidt told the Denver Post’s Patrick Saunders that the team and Black will “talk at the end of the season” and that “there’s nothing more to report on that” for the time being. It isn’t exactly a vote of confidence for Black, who is on pace for his sixth straight losing season and his second straight year of at least 100 losses.
While Black’s contract is technically up after the season, his deal has been described in the past (by reporter Nick Groke) as “a rolling year-to-year contract.” In both February 2022 and 2023, the Rox announced a new one-year extension to Black’s deal, yet no such extension was announced this past spring even though the two sides had some talks about Black’s future. It could be that owner Dick Monfort’s well-known penchant for loyalty to his employees was running a little thin coming off a 103-loss season, or perhaps Black himself might be considering a different role at age 67. Saunders writes that Black “loves teaching young players and participating in the Rockies’ attempts to improve,” but has also “remained mum about” the possibility of returning as Colorado’s skipper.
More from around the NL West…
- The Dodgers‘ list of forthcoming reinforcements off the injured list includes Blake Treinen, as manager Dave Roberts told The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (links to X) and other reporters that Treinen is expected to be activated on Tuesday. This means Treinen will miss just the minimum 15 days after some left hip discomfort sent him to the IL back on August 5. Shoulder injuries limited Treinen to five innings in 2022 and he didn’t pitch at all in 2023, and despite this minor hip issue and a bruised lung/rib fractures suffered during Spring Training, he has still posted a 2.67 ERA in 30 1/3 innings for Los Angeles this year. In more positive news about the relief corps, Roberts said Brusdar Graterol will soon throw a bullpen session, as Graterol is making a quicker recovery than expected from a hamstring strain. There was some concern that Graterol’s season might’ve been in jeopardy when he was put on the 15-day IL back on August 7, but it looks like he’ll be able to return and try to salvage something from what has thus far been a lost year. Shoulder inflammation prevented Graterol from making his season debut until August 6, and he faced just three batters (recording one out) before hurting his hamstring.
- Giants reliever Randy Rodriguez was placed on the 15-day injured list earlier this week due to right elbow inflammation, and manager Bob Melvin told reporters (including Shayna Rubin of the San Francisco Chronicle) today that tests didn’t reveal any structural damage. Rodriguez will still be shut down for a couple of weeks before being re-evaluated, so his absence should extend well beyond the 15-day minimum. The hard-throwing Rodriguez has made a solid accounting of himself in his rookie season, posting a 3.93 ERA, 24.6% strikeout rate, and 7.6% walk rate over 50 1/3 innings.
- Circling back to the Rockies for one final note, Colorado activated Nolan Jones from the 10-day injured list today, and optioned catcher Hunter Goodman to Triple-A. After a seeming breakout year in 2023, Jones has hit only .202/.311/.313 in 191 PA this season, while playing in just 49 games due to two lengthy IL stints related to lower back pain. Jones also had extra concerns off the field, as he told Patrick Saunders that his newborn daughter had some breathing problems but is now thankfully doing better.