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Cubs Place Marcus Stroman On Injured List, Option Frank Schwindel

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The Cubs announced a series of roster moves to reporters today, including Bruce Levine of 670 The Score. (Twitter links) Marcus Stroman, who was scheduled to start tonight’s game, has instead been placed on the injured list. No designation was given for his placement, suggesting he is going on the COVID-related IL. Right-hander Adrian Sampson will have his contract selected to take Stroman’s place on the roster. Additionally, Frank Schwindel is being optioned to Triple-A. The club had an extra man on the roster for yesterday’s doubleheader and needed to subtract someone.

Stroman’s absence leaves the Cubs in a particular bind for tonight’s game, though if his placement is simply due to a close-contact situation or light symptoms, he could be activated as early as tomorrow (and thus likely lined up to start Tuesday’s game against the Padres).  If Stroman has indeed tested positive for COVID-19, he’ll face an absence of at least 10 days, unless he passes certain criteria — two negative PCR tests, approval from a three-physician panel, and at least 24 hours without a fever.

The right-hander has been inconsistent over his first five starts in a Cubs uniform, but Stroman is coming off his best outing of the season, seven shutout innings of two-hit ball against the Brewers on May 1.  If Stroman does have to miss an extended period of time, Wade Miley might be just about ready to step right into the mix, as the veteran (who hasn’t yet pitched in 2022 due to elbow inflammation) tossed a rehab outing on May 5.

Sampson posted a 2.80 ERA over 35 1/3 innings for Chicago last season, and re-signed a new minor league deal with the Cubs in March.  A right-handed swingman, Sampson has started all five of his games at Triple-A this season, and could also fit into the rotation picture as a Stroman replacement.

Schwindel was claimed off waivers from the A’s last July, and he took over regular first base duty for the Cubs after Anthony Rizzo was dealt to the Yankees prior to the trade deadline.  In a difficult period for the rebuilding Cubs, “Frank The Tank” was a bright spot, as he unexpectedly broke out to hit .342/.389/.613 with 13 homers over 239 PA for Chicago.  This performance made Schwindel an instant favorite among Wrigleyville fans, and earned him a sixth-place finish in NL Rookie Of The Year voting.

Unfortunately, Schwindel’s 2022 hasn’t been as positive, as he has batted only .209/.250/.308 with two home runs over 96 PA.  With Schwindel now looking to find himself at Triple-A, the Cubs may turn to another unheralded breakout candidate at first base, as Alfonso Rivas as gotten off to a hot start over his first 73 PA.

Cubs Sign Robert Gsellman, Adrian Sampson

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The Cubs continue to stockpile pitching depth, signing right-handers Robert Gsellman and Adrian Sampson.  ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reported the Gsellman signing, while Bryan Smith of Cubs Prospects reported Sampson’s return to the organization.  Both are minor league deals, as per Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune and MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian.  (All links to Twitter.)

Gsellman has spent his entire pro career in the Mets organization, but New York chose to non-tender the righty back in November.  Due to a variety of injuries over the last two seasons, Gsellman has only tossed 42 2/3 MLB innings since Opening Day 2020.

Gsellman showed some flashes of brilliance over his four previous seasons working as a starter, swingman, and a full-time reliever with the Mets, pitching to a 4.44 ERA over 308 frames from 2016-19.  This versatility made Gsellman a useful arm to have on a pitching staff, though after two injury-marred years, it seems as though the Mets were simply ready to move onto other options.

Sampson is another swingman type who started five of his 10 appearances with the Cubs last season, with a nice 2.80 ERA over 35 1/3 innings (even if advanced metrics weren’t impressed by Sampson’s low-strikeout arsenal).  2021 was the fourth MLB season for Sampson, who debuted with the Mariners in 2016 and also pitched with the Rangers in 2018-19.  The right-hander spent much of 2017 recovering from flexor tendon surgery and then went abroad in 2020 to pitch for the KBO League’s Lotte Giants.

Since the lockout ended, the Cubs have hit the ground running on pitching additions, bringing the likes of David Robertson, Daniel Norris, Chris Martin, Jesse Chavez (on a minor league deal) and Steven Brault onto the roster.  Gsellman and Sampson bring even more depth to the mix, and given their similar skillsets, the two righties could essentially be competing for one swingman-type role.  It could be that both pitchers end up seeing work with Chicago, given how the Cubs and other teams are adding depth as a guard against any arm injuries caused by this shortened Spring Training.

Cubs Select Adrian Sampson, Designate Johneshwy Fargas

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The Cubs have selected the contract of right-hander Adrian Sampson from Triple-A Iowa and designated outfielder Johneshwy Fargas for assignment in a corresponding move, per a club announcement.

Sampson, 29, will be returning to the Majors for the first time since 2019. He’s spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues between the Mariners and Rangers but struggled to a 5.71 ERA in that time. He spent the 2020 season with the Korea Baseball Organization’s Lotte Giants and racked up 130 innings in their rotation, albeit with a lackluster 5.30 ERA in that time.

Sampson has been far from dominant in Iowa this year, but he’s carrying a 4.12 ERA over his past 10 starts — a span of 55 2/3 innings. That includes a seven-run meltdown on Aug. 7, but he’s been largely solid for the better part of two months outside of that hiccup. He’ll give the Cubs a fresh arm to start with Adbert Alzolay hitting the 10-day injured list due to a blister issue.

Fargas, 26, was claimed off waivers earlier in the summer and has gone 7-for-26 in his limited time with the team. He’s hitting .277/.292/.426 through 49 plate appearances this year between the Cubs and the Mets — the first big league action of his career. The longtime Giants minor leaguer is a career .255/.331./346 hitter in parts of eight minor league seasons, but he possesses well above-average speed — as evidenced by 248 minor league steals — and can play all three outfield spots. The Cubs will place him on outright or release waivers in the coming days.

Cubs Agree To Minor League Deal With Adrian Sampson

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The Cubs agreed to a minor league pact with right-hander Adrian Sampson, as Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register tweeted yesterday. The team didn’t make a formal announcement, but the 29-year-old Sampson is now listed on the roster of their top affiliate in Iowa.

Sampson has pitched in part of three big league seasons, spending some time with the Mariners in 2016 and tossing 153 frames with the Rangers from 2018-19. Sampson spent the 2020 season with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization, racking up 130 innings but struggling to a 5.40 ERA with just a 14.7 percent strikeout rate. He did notch a strong 6.1 percent walk rate in the KBO, in addition to a massive 65.2 percent grounder rate.

Sampson’s time in the big leagues has resulted in a 5.71 ERA through 153 innings, most of which came with the 2019 Rangers. He’s a strike-thrower, evidenced by a career 6.0 percent walk rate, but Sampson also carries a below-average 17.1 percent strikeout rate and has been extremely prone to home runs, yielding an average of 2.2 round-trippers per nine innings pitched.

It’s a depth pickup for the Cubs — one that adds another arm with big league experience to a rather veteran pitching staff in Iowa. Sampson joins new teammates Shelby Miller, Adam Morgan, Kyle Ryan and Joe Biagini veterans with more than 100 Major League innings under their belt. Kohl Stewart, Robert Stock, Ryan Meisinger and Jake Jewell have all seen big league action with other organizations as well.

Which Former MLB Players Are Getting Ready To Play In The KBO?

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The Korea Baseball Organization is set to open its regular season on May 5, without fans in attendance, and is already in the midst of its second preseason training camp. There have been reported talks to bring KBO games to a North American audience, although at this point there’s no deal in place to allow MLB fans to tune in broad-reaching, accessible fashion.

Still, as baseball-starved fans hope for some ability to monitor those games, it seems worth a rundown of which former big leaguers will be suiting up in the KBO for fans around the world to follow — even if it’s in box scores and highlight clips only. Here’s a look at some names you might recognize in the 10-team league (with a hefty tip of the cap to the indispensable MyKBO.net and MyKBOstats.com)…

Doosan Bears (2019 record: 88-55-1)

  • Jose Miguel Fernandez, 1B/DH: The 32-year-old Fernandez was a notable signing out of Cuba by the Dodgers but never got a look with his original club. He latched on with the 2018 Angels and appeared in 36 games before heading to the KBO, where he posted a massive .344/.409/.483 slash even in a year that saw a leaguewide decrease in offense.
  • Raul Alcantara, RHP: Alcantara, 27, pitched with the Athletics in 2016-17. He notched a 4.01 ERA in 172 2/3 with the KT Wiz in Korea last season before inking a deal with the Bears this past winter.
  • Chris Flexen, RHP: Flexen struggled with the Mets from 2017-19 before signing up for his first overseas stint this past season. He had some success with the Mets’ Triple-A club and averaged a strikeout per inning at that level.

SK Wyverns (88-55-1)

  • Nick Kingham, RHP: The longtime Pirates top prospect never put it together in 131 2/3 big league innings, but he’s still just 28 years old. He’ll be an interesting name to monitor with regard to a future return.
  • Ricardo Pinto, RHP: The 26-year-old spent time with the Phillies, Rays and Giants organizations but struggled in limited MLB time.
  • Jamie Romak, 1B: The 33-year-old Romak only has 39 MLB plate appearances on his track record, but he’s become a consistent offensive force in the KBO, hitting .283/.376/.544 in three seasons with the Wyverns.

Kiwoom Heroes (86-57-1)

  • ByungHo Park, 1B: Park’s big free-agent deal with the Minnesota Twins didn’t pan out, but he’s posted an OPS north of 1.000 since returning to the Heroes two seasons ago.
  • Taylor Motter, INF/OF: The versatile 30-year-old didn’t hit much in 141 MLB games between the Rays, Mariners and Twins. He’ll hope for an overseas breakout in 2020.
  • Jake Brigham, RHP: Brigham, 32, only got a brief look with the 2015 Braves, but he’s entering his fourth KBO season — his second with the Heroes. In a total of 501 1/3 KBO innings, he’s posted a 3.72 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9.
  • Eric Jokisch, LHP: An encouraging 2014 stint with the Cubs (three runs in 14 1/3 innings) never led to another MLB look for Jokisch, who bounced around the Triple-A circuit before turning in an impressive 3.13 ERA and 141-to-39 K/BB ratio in 181 1/3 frames in last year’s KBO debut.

LG Twins (79-64-1)

  • Hyun-Soo Kim, OF: The former Oriole and Phillie returned to the KBO after a two-year MLB stint in 2016-17, signing a four-year, $10.7MM deal with LG. The “Hitting Machine,” as he was nicknamed in the KBO, posted an OPS north of 1.000 in his return and has largely picked up where he left off.
  • Casey Kelly, RHP: The one-time star Red Sox prospect is now 30 years old and fresh off a 2.55 ERA, 6.3 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 through 180 1/3 innings in his first KBO season.
  • Tyler Wilson, RHP: Wilson, also 30, floundered through 145 innings with the Orioles before finding himself with the LG Twins, for whom he’s tossed 355 innings with a 2.99 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.
  • Roberto Ramos, 1B: One of the few players on this list who never appeared in the Majors, the 25-year-old Ramos is a former Rockies prospect who signed on for his first season of Asian ball after hitting .309/.400/.580 in Triple-A last year.

NC Dinos (73-69-2)

  • Aaron Altherr, OF: One of the more recognizable names on the list, Altherr at times looked like a budding star with the Phillies. He fizzled out after some notable injuries, though, and is will make his KBO debut at 29 this year.
  • Mike Wright, RHP: Another former O’s hurler, Wright appeared in parts of five seasons with Baltimore. He had his share of success in Triple-A (3.76 ERA) but regularly struggled in the big leagues (6.00 ERA in 258 frames). He’s making his KBO debut this season as well.
  • Drew Rucinski, RHP: The 31-year-old saw time with the Angels, Twins and most recently the Marlins (2018). He returns to the Dinos after pitching 177 2/3 frames of 3.05 ERA ball in 2019 (6.0 K/9, 2.3 BB/9).

KT Wiz (71-71-2)

  • Odrisamer Despaigne, RHP: The 2020 season will be the first in the KBO for the 33-year-old Despaigne — a six-year MLB veteran who has tallied 363 innings in the big leagues.
  • Jae-Gyun Hwang, 3B: The (San Francisco) Giants signed Hwang back in 2017 but never gave him a long look despite a memorable home run in his MLB debut. He’s a productive regular in the KBO once again, having signed a four-year, $7.9MM deal with the Wiz prior to the 2018 season.
  • Mel Rojas Jr., OF: The 29-year-old Rojas never got a chance with the Pirates or Braves, and he’s now one of the KBO’s top hitters. In three seasons with the Wiz, Rojas has mashed at a .310/.377/.561 clip. He’s hit 30 homers in consecutive seasons.
  • William Cuevas, RHP: Cuevas, 29, got a cup of coffee with both the Red Sox and Tigers before jumping to the KBO and posting a 3.62 ERA with 6.6 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 in 184 innings last year.

Kia Tigers (62-80-2)

  • Preston Tucker, OF: The former Astros prospect had a hot start with the ’18 Braves but faded quickly. He’s set for a second season with the Tigers after hitting .311/.381/.479 in last year’s debut effort.
  • Aaron Brooks, RHP: Brooks, 30 next week, pitched for the A’s, Royals and O’s between 2014-19 but struggled to a 6.49 ERA in 179 2/3 innings. He’s set for his KBO debut.
  • Drew Gagnon, RHP: A third-round pick of the Brewers in 2011, Gagnon saw MLB action with the Mets in 2018-19 but performed poorly. He had a bit 2019 season in Triple-A (2.33 ERA in 88 2/3 innings), which helped attract interest overseas.

Samsung Lions (60-83-1)

  • Seunghwan Oh, RHP: Oh enjoyed a quality four-year run with the Cardinals, Blue Jays and Rockies before undergoing elbow surgery last summer and heading back to the Lions, for whom he starred for nine seasons as one of the best relievers in league history (a tenure that earned him his incredible “Final Boss” nickname).
  • Tyler Saladino, INF: The former White Sox utilityman saw MLB time with the Brewers in 2018-19 and now heads to South Korea for the first time at 30 years of age.
  • David Buchanan, RHP: Buchanan hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since a 2014-15 run with the Phillies. He’s spent the past three seasons with Japan’s Yakult Swallows, working to a 4.07 ERA in 433 innings — mostly working as a starter.
  • Ben Lively, RHP: A prospect of some note for a bit with the Phillies, Lively had a solid MLB debut in ’17 but never further established himself. He gave the Lions 57 innings of 3.95 ERA ball after signing midseason in 2019.

Hanwha Eagles (58-86)

  • Jared Hoying, OF: Hoying barely got a look with the Rangers in 2016-17, but he’s compiled a .296/.355/.519 slash in two seasons with the Eagles so far.
  • Warwick Saupold, RHP: The Aussie hurler managed a 4.98 ERA in three seasons with the Tigers before taking his 80-grade name to the KBO. In last year’s 192-inning debut, he logged a 3.51 ERA.
  • Chad Bell, LHP: Bell and Saupold were teammates with the Tigers. Both debuted in the KBO last year, and Bell’s 3.50 ERA is a near-identical match to his longtime teammate.

Lotte Giants (48-93-3)

  • Dan Straily, RHP: The most accomplished pitcher on this list, Straily racked up 495 1/3 innings of 4.03 ERA ball with the Reds and Marlins from 2016-18 before his production fell off a cliff in 2019. He’ll hope to rebound on a one-year, $1MM deal with the Giants.
  • Dae-ho Lee, 1B: The 37-year-old slugger came to the Majors for one season with the 2016 Mariners before returning to Korea on a four-year, $12.9MM contract that represented the largest deal in KBO history at the time. Lee’s bat faded in 2019, but he mashed 37 homers with a .987 OPS in 2018.
  • Adrian Sampson, RHP: The 31-year-old comes to the Giants for his own KBO debut with a solid Triple-A track record but an ugly 5.71 ERA in 153 MLB innings.
  • Dixon Machado, INF: Yet another former Tiger, Machado spent 2019 with the Cubs’ Triple-A club, where he hit .261/.371/.480 before agreeing to a deal with Lotte this winter.

Adrian Sampson Signs With KBO’s Lotte Giants

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NOVEMBER 25: Sampson has formally been granted his release to pursue the KBO opportunity, the Rangers announced. Texas’ 40-man roster now sits at 39 players.

NOVEMBER 20: The Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization are set to sign Rangers right-hander Adrian Sampson, Naver Sports reports (hat tip to Levi Weaver of The Athletic). The deal comes with a $500K salary and a $339,700 signing bonus, per Dan Kurtz of MyKBO.net.

The 28-year-old Sampson has been a member of multiple MLB organizations since the Pirates used a fifth-round pick on him in 2012. He went to the Mariners in a 2015 trade for left-hander J.A. Happ, though the M’s cut ties with Sampson after 2016, leading the Rangers to claim him off waivers.

Sampson, then recovering from elbow surgery, didn’t pitch in the majors in his first year with the Rangers. However, the majority of his innings have come at the MLB level since then. While Sampson amassed all 125 1/3 innings of his 2019 frames as part of Texas’ staff, he could only muster a 5.89 ERA/5.69 FIP despite playable strikeout and walk rates of 7.25 and 2.59 per nine. Sampson has enjoyed more success preventing runs in Triple-A ball, where he owns a 4.11 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 over 398 2/3 innings.

Rangers Designate David Carpenter

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The Rangers announced that they have designated righty David Carpenter for assignment. It’s the second time he has been bumped from the MLB roster this season.

The move coincides with the team’s decision to send fellow right-hander Adrian Sampson to the 10-day injured list due to a lower back issue. To take the open roster spots, the club has recalled first baseman/outfielder Scott Heineman and righty Phillips Valdez.

Carpenter, 34, made it back to the majors this season for the first time since 2015. And he earned his way back up after his brief initial stint. Over 34 2/3 Triple-A innings on the season, he carries a 1.82 ERA with 9.9 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9. Unfortunately, Carpenter hasn’t shown up in his limited big league frames, allowing four earned runs with a 2:4 K/BB ratio in four appearances.

Rangers To Promote Kolby Allard

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Left-hander Kolby Allard’s time with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate will apparently only span one start. Texas announced on Tuesday that Allard will be promoted from Triple-A Nashville to start against the Brewers.

Allard, the No. 14 overall pick by the Braves in the 2015 draft, was traded from Atlanta to Texas in the deadline swap that saw reliever Chris Martin go to the Braves. It was a fairly steep price to pay for a two-month rental of Martin, as Allard is a big-league-ready arm who has pitched well in 21 Triple-A starts this season. Through 115 innings, he’s logged a 3.99 ERA with averages of 8.3 K/9, 3.0 BB/9 and 1.17 HR/9 to go along with a grounder rate a hair under 50 percent. Allard is one of only seven qualified starters in all of Triple-A — both the Pacific Coast League and International League — with an ERA under 4.00 this season.

Texas announced that right-hander Adrian Sampson is available out of the ’pen beginning tonight, so it seems that Allard will step into his starting spot for the time being. He’ll join Mike Minor, Lance Lynn and Ariel Jurado in the Texas rotation, with young righty Pedro Payano perhaps getting a look as well.

The acquisition of Allard, who’ll turn 22 next week, gave the Rangers precisely the type of MLB-ready arm of which the upper levels of their farm were largely devoid. Scouting reports on Allard portray him as more of a fourth starter than a top-of-the-rotation arm, but if that is indeed the eventual outcome, the Texas organization will happily plug him into the rotation for years to come.

While further options to and from Triple-A will impact Allard’s service time, he’s currently controllable through at least the 2025 season. He entered the 2019 campaign with 43 days of big league service and won’t be able to cross the one-year threshold in 2019 even if he sticks in the MLB rotation from here on out. As such, the earliest Allard would be eligible for arbitration would be after the 2022 season, as he won’t accrue enough service to be under consideration as a Super Two player when the time comes.

Rangers Select Adrian Sampson

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The Rangers have selected the contract of righty Adrian Sampson. Indeed, he was just called in to relieve in tonight’s game.

To create space on the roster, the club announced two additional moves. Southpaw Kyle Bird was optioned to make way on the active roster, while a 40-man spot was procured by shifting injured hurler Yohander Mendez to the 60-day injured list.

Sampson, a 27-year-old righty, has seen minimal MLB time and dealt with some serious arm issues over the past few seasons. He generated nice results last year at Triple-A, but ended up being non-tendered and re-signed to a minors deal by the Texas organization.

Rangers Sign Adrian Sampson To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers have reunited with right-hander Adrian Sampson on a minor league contract with an invitation to big league camp, Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News reports. The club temporarily cut ties with Sampson when it non-tendered him on Nov. 30.

A fifth-round pick of the Pirates in 2012, Sampson has been with the Rangers since November 2016, when they claimed him off waivers from the division-rival Mariners. Sampson has since totaled 23 innings and five appearances (four starts) in Texas, all of which came last season, and posted a 4.30 ERA/6.03 FIP with 5.87 K/9, 1.57 BB/9 and a 36.5 percent groundball rate.

While Sampson hasn’t been overly successful with the Rangers, the 27-year-old has done well as a member of their Triple-A affiliate, as he recorded a microscopic 0.90 ERA with the team in 10 innings in 2017 and then a respectable 3.77 mark in 126 2/3 frames last year. In all, Sampson carries a 4.11 ERA with 6.5 K/9 against 1.8 BB/9 in 398 2/3 innings at the minors’ highest level.

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