Outrights: Rondon, Larsen, Perdomo
With a slew of players designated for assignment following Tuesday’s trade deadline madness, we’ll see several players claimed off waivers in the coming days — but also several who pass through waivers unclaimed and remain with their organization. A few updates on some players who fall into the latter of those two categories….
- Giants righty Angel Rondon went unclaimed on waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento, per a club announcement. Rondon, 24, has pitched seven scoreless big league innings with the Cardinals between 2021 and 2022, allowing just two hits but four walks with five strikeouts in that time. Encouraging as seven shutout frames may be, he’s also posted a 4.35 ERA in 51 2/3 Triple-A frames between the Giants and Cardinals organizations this season, striking out 24.3% of his opponents but also walking a whopping 16.1% of the batters he’s faced in the minors. Rondon had not been previously outrighted, so electing free agency wasn’t an option for him.
- The Mariners announced last night that outfielder Jack Larsen went unclaimed on outright waivers and was assigned to Double-A Arkansas. The 27-year-old made his big league debut with the M’s this summer but appeared in just one game and fanned in his lone plate appearance. It’s a tough blow for any longtime minor leaguer to get such a fleeting taste of the Majors, but Larsen is a .266/.371/.444 hitter in Double-A who can play all three outfield slots, so perhaps he’ll get another look down the line — be it with the Mariners or another organization. It’s his first outright assignment, so Larsen remains under Mariners control.
- Although the move wasn’t formally announced by the Rays, left-hander Angel Perdomo cleared waivers and was assigned outright to Triple-A Durham. The 28-year-old Perdomo was back on the mound in Durham last night, where he punched out two more hitters (and walked another) in a scoreless outing. Perdomo has punched out half the hitters he’s fced in 8 1/3 minor league innings this season and 28 of the 79 he faced in the big leagues with the Brewers (35.4%). Unfortunately, as is so often the case, that prodigious bat-missing ability is accompanied by ghoulish command issues. Perdomo walked 24.1% of his big league opponents this season (plus a pair of hit-by-pitches). He’s also walked eight of 36 minor league opponents (22.2%) and plunked another. Now off the 40-man roster but sticking with the organization, he’ll work with the Rays’ development staff in hopes of refining his command to an at least passable level.
Giants Designate Angel Rondon For Assignment
The Giants have designated right-hander Angel Rondón for assignment, Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic was among those to relay. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for infielder Tommy La Stella, who is back after a stint on the COVID-19 injured list.
San Francisco nabbed Rondón off waivers from the Cardinals two weeks ago, and he’s made just two Triple-A appearances since that point. He’ll now lose his roster spot and perhaps never appear in a big league game with the Giants, as he’ll either be traded or waived within the next week.
Rondón, a 24-year-old righty, has three big league appearances under his belt. He tossed two frames over two outings last season, and he’s made one five-inning relief appearance with St. Louis this year. He’s spent the majority of the year in Triple-A, working as a swing option for the Cardinals top affiliate in Memphis. Rondón threw 49 innings in 18 appearances (five starts) there, posting a 4.04 ERA with a decent 24.2% strikeout percentage but an elevated 15.3% walk rate.
This is the second of three minor league option years for Rondón, so any team that acquires him could stash him in Triple-A as a depth arm for the next season and a half. If he passes through waivers unclaimed, he’d remain with the Giants top affiliate in Sacramento as a non-roster player.
Giants Claim Angel Rondón From Cardinals
The Giants announced to reporters, including Maria I. Guardado of MLB.com, that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Angel Rondón off waivers from the Cardinals. He had been designated for assignment by the Cards last week. The Giants had an open spot on their 40-man roster after designating Jake McGee for assignment recently.
Rondón, 24, was signed by the Cardinals out of the Dominican Republic and made his affiliated debut back in 2016. He was largely a starter at the beginning of his career but has thrown out of the bullpen more after reaching the upper levels. He made his MLB debut last year but threw just two innings. This year, he has just a single appearance at the big league level. After Steven Matz started the game against the Pirates on May 22, he departed after just four pitches. Rondon entered and threw five scoreless frames, but was optioned out for a fresh arm the next day. That gives him seven total innings of MLB experience without allowing an earned run so far.
Through 49 Triple-A innings on the year, he has a 4.04 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate but a concerning walk rate of 15.3%. Five of his 18 appearances have been starts, though those were mostly of the “opener” variety. He still has youth on his side and is in his second option year, meaning he can be stashed in the minors for the rest of this season as well as another campaign. That makes him a fairly sensible add for the Giants, who have already optioned him to Triple-A. He can stay in Sacramento as depth until needed or until he forces his way onto the big league team.
Cardinals Designate Angel Rondon For Assignment
The Cardinals have announced that left-hander Genesis Cabrera has been activated from the injured list. To make room for him on the active roster, right-hander James Naile has been optioned to Triple-A. Since Cabrera was on the COVID IL, he wasn’t occupying a spot on the 40-man roster. To make room for him there, righty Angel Rondon has been designated for assignment.
Rondon, 24, was an international signing of the Cardinals out of the Dominican Republic in 2016. He largely worked as a starter in the lower levels of the minors but has gradually transitioned into more of a relief role in the upper levels and in the majors. He has just seven MLB innings on his ledger so far, five of which came in a single appearance this year. After Steven Matz started the game against the Pirates on May 22, he departed after just four pitches. Rondon entered and threw five scoreless frames, but was optioned out for a fresh arm the next day.
Through 49 Triple-A innings on the year, he has a 4.04 ERA with a 24.2% strikeout rate but a concerning walk rate of 15.3%. Five of his 18 appearances have been starts, meaning he hasn’t fully crossed the threshold that separates the rotation from the bullpen. He still has youth on his side and is in his second option year, meaning he can be stashed in the minors for the rest of this season as well as another campaign. Given the mounting injuries around the league, it’s entirely plausible that some team is intrigued enough to take a shot on him. Baseball America has considered him to be one of the top 30 prospects in the Cardinals’ system in each of the past three years, highlighting his slider as the best offering in his four-pitch mix. The Cardinals will have a week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him.
Cardinals Place Kwang Hyun Kim, Justin Williams On 10-Day IL
The Cardinals have placed left-hander Kwang Hyun Kim and outfielder Justin Williams on the 10-day injured list, manager Mike Shildt told reporters. Kim left his start last night due to lower back tightness, while Williams is dealing with a stiff neck. Righty Angel Rondon (as reported earlier today) and first baseman John Nogowski have been called up from Triple-A to fill the roster spots.
A similar back problem sidelined Kim during Spring Training and kept him from making his 2021 debut until April 17. The 32-year-old’s second Major League season has been pretty solid, as Kim has overcome some lackluster peripheral numbers to post a 4.05 ERA/4.25 SIERA over 40 innings of work. Kim’s current injury doesn’t seem as serious as his earlier injury, Shildt told MLB.com’s Katie Woo and other reporters, so the team is hoping a minimal 10-day stint will correct the issue.
A quick return from Kim would certainly help a St. Louis rotation that is already without Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas due to injuries. Johan Oviedo is slated to start today, and Shildt said that Rondon will be used as a long reliever for the time being. The Cardinals have off-days on both Monday and Thursday this week, so if Kim is indeed only out for 10 days, the team might not need a replacement starter at all.
Injuries in the outfield have led to a lot of playing time for Williams this season, as he has appeared in 51 of the Cardinals’ 58 games. Williams is hitting only .160/.270/.261 in 137 plate appearances, and when combined with some below-average defense, Williams has been a sub-replacement level (-0.8 fWAR) performer. Prior to this season, Williams had appeared is only four MLB games over parts of two seasons with St. Louis and Tampa Bay.
Cardinals To Promote Angel Rondon
The Cardinals are promoting right-hander Angel Rondon to the active roster prior to today’s game with the Reds, according to Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (via Twitter). Rondon is already on the 40-man roster, and the corresponding move to add him to the active roster isn’t yet known.
An international signing from the Dominican Republic in 2016, Rondon is set to make his big league debut at age 23. He has a 3.15 ERA and 22.8% strikeout rate over 371 innings in the minors, though he has a 5.32 ERA over 23 2/3 innings at Triple-A Memphis this season, which marked his first taste of Triple-A action. Most of Rondon’s struggles at Triple-A, however, came in his first two starts, and he has been solid enough over his last three outings that the Cards will give him a look in the majors.
It’s quite possible that first look could come in the starting rotation, given the Cardinals’ injury problems. Jack Flaherty and Miles Mikolas are both on the injured list, and Kwang Hyun Kim made an early departure from last night’s game due to back tightness. Rondon could be used as a long reliever until more is known about Kim’s status, and if Kim also has to hit the IL, Rondon can slide right into the rotation.
MLB Pipeline ranks the right-hander as the 10th-best prospect in the St. Louis farm system, citing Rondon’s curveball and fastball as plus pitches. That heater can hit 97mph but usually sits in the mid-90’s, and Pipeline’s scouting report notes that Rondon’s “delivery creates natural deception, which often helps his fastball play above its velocity.”
Cardinals Select Angel Rondon
The Cardinals announced that they have selected right-hander Angel Rondon to their 40-man roster. Their roster now consists of 39 players.
The Dominican-born Rondon, 22, has been a member of the St. Louis organization since before the 2016 season, and he has pitched to a sturdy 3.01 ERA with 8.8 K/9 and 3.1 BB/9 over 347 1/3 minor league innings with the Cardinals. Rondon topped out at Double-A ball in 2019 and impressed with a 3.21 ERA/3.97 FIP, 8.77 K/9 and 3.29 BB/9 across 115 frames and 20 appearances (all starts) en route to Minor League Pitcher of the Year honors for the Cards that season.
Rondon now ranks as the Cardinals’ 13th-best prospect at MLB.com, which writes that he boasts a 93 to 94 mph fastball that can hit 97. He also features a “power curveball” and “an average changeup.” That mix of pitches could help Rondon evolve into a legitimate major league starter or at least a useful reliever.