Headlines

Go To Pro Hockey Rumors
Go To Hoops Rumors

Austin Davis

Astros To Select Corey Julks, César Salazar

By and | at

The Astros informed reporters of a handful of roster decision this afternoon (relayed by Brian McTaggart of MLB.com and Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle). Most notably, outfielder/third baseman Corey Julks and catcher/first baseman César Salazar are making the Opening Day roster. Neither player is yet on the 40-man roster, so the club will have to formally select their contracts in the next few days.

Houston will carry three catchers to start the season, as backstop Yainer Diaz is also breaking camp behind veteran starter Martín Maldonado. Díaz is already on the 40-man after making his MLB debut late last season. Catcher Korey Lee, outfielder Bligh Madris, infielder/outfielder J.J. Matijevic and infielder Rylan Bannon were all optioned, while non-roster invitees Dixon Machado, Justin Dirden, Austin Davis and Ty Buttrey were reassigned to the minor leagues.

Julks is a Texas native who attended the University of Houston. An eighth-round pick by his hometown club in 2017, he’s played five minor league seasons. The 27-year-old had a strong season with Triple-A Sugar Land last year, hitting .270/.351/.503 with 31 home runs and 22 stolen bases in 27 attempts. Baseball America slotted him as the #27 prospect in the Houston system this offseason as a result, the first time he’d placed among the organization’s top 30 farmhands. The outlet credits him with roughly average tools across the board and suggests he could step immediately step in as a fourth outfielder. He’ll earn that opportunity after a .275/.318/.550 showing in 40 plate appearances this spring.

Salazar, also 27, was a seventh-round pick in 2018 out of the University of Arizona. The 5’9″ backstop spent the majority of last season with Double-A Corpus Christi. He posted a solid .277/.350/.489 line while connecting on 16 longballs in 85 games. Salazar only walked at a 6.8% clip but kept his strikeouts down to a modest 16.5% rate. While he only has 18 games of Triple-A experience, the Astros are confident he’ll be able to handle the jump to take on big league arms. He’ll add a left-handed bat to the bench and give skipper Dusty Baker some added flexibility to sub out Maldonado for a pinch-hitter as long as Houston carries three catchers.

Diaz is one of the organization’s best offensive prospects. The 24-year-old only got into six MLB contests last year but combined for a .306/.356/.542, 25-homer showing in the minors. He adds a bat-first complement to Maldonado behind the dish and could also see occasional starts at first base or designated hitter.

Houston will need to create a pair of spots on the 40-man roster. Placing second baseman Jose Altuve on the 60-day injured list feels like an inevitability, as he won’t begin baseball activities for two months after fracturing his thumb. Starting pitcher Lance McCullers Jr. could be another 60-day IL candidate as he’s slowed by a forearm strain, though general manager Dana Brown was noncommittal on that possibility today (via Rome).

Astros Sign Austin Davis To Minor League Deal

By | at

The Astros have informed reporters, including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com, that they have signed left-hander Austin Davis to a minor league deal with an invitation to major league Spring Training.

Davis, 30 in February, was drafted by the Phillies and made his MLB debut with them in 2018. He’s since bounced around quite a bit, spending time with the Pirates, Red Sox and Twins.

In 2022, he saw his most extensive big league action, logging 56 innings between Boston and Minnesota. In that time he posted a 5.79 ERA with a decent 24.2% strikeout rate but an unfortunate 12.5% walk rate. It’s possible that there was a bit of bad luck in there from his .331 batting average on balls in play and 63.6% strand rate. Advanced metrics liked him better but not by too much, with Davis earning a 4.59 xERA, 4.02 FIP and 4.13 SIERA. The Twins designated him for assignment in September.

Despite those numbers, Davis might have a path to joining the Astros since they are light on southpaws in the bullpen. The only left-handed relievers on the 40-man roster at the moment are Blake Taylor and Parker Mushinski. Taylor spent a decent chunk of 2022 on the IL due to elbow discomfort and was optioned to the minors at the end of his rehab assignment. Mushinski was up and down all year, only getting into seven big league games. It doesn’t seem like either one is a lock for a spot with next year’s bullpen, meaning there could be an opening for Davis to work his way in there. He’s out of options but has between two and three years of MLB service, meaning he can be retained for future seasons via arbitration if he earns a roster spot and keeps it.

Austin Davis Elects Free Agency

By | at

TODAY: Davis has cleared waivers and has chosen to become a free agent.

SEPTEMBER 8: The Twins announced Thursday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Cole Sands from the injured list and opened a spot on the active roster by designating left-hander Austin Davis for assignment. Minnesota had claimed Davis from the Red Sox on Aug. 31 after he was also designated for assignment in Boston.

Davis, 29, struggled to a 5.47 ERA in 54 1/3 innings with the Red Sox this year and wasn’t able to right the ship in a brief stint with the Twins. Though he appeared in just two games, the lefty yielded three runs on a hit and four walks in just 1 2/3 innings. His DFA will drop the Twins back down to two lefties in the bullpen — Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran — and open a spot on the Twins’ 40-man roster.

Originally a 12th-round pick of the Phillies, Davis has appeared in the Majors in each of the past five seasons but has never posted a single-season ERA south of 5.00 and currently carries a lifetime mark of 5.61 in 144 frames at the MLB level. He’s fanned 24% of his opponents against an 11% walk rate and kept 39.5% of batted balls against him on the ground.

Davis has regularly excelled at limiting hard contact, evidenced by a career 87.2 mph average exit velocity and 33.4% hard-hit rate. However, when opponents do square him up, the result is often a worst-case scenario; even with that lack of consistent hard contact, he’s still yielded an average of 1.25 homers per nine innings pitched. With the trade deadline now well in the rear-view mirror, the only options for the Twins will be to place Davis on outright or release waivers. He reached three years of Major League service time earlier this season, so even if he clears he’ll have the right to reject an assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency.

As for the 25-year-old Sands, he’s followed a standout 2021 Double-A campaign (2.46 ERA in 80 1/3 innings) with a rough year both in Triple-A and the Majors. The 2018 fifth-rounder has been saddled with a 5.70 ERA in 53 1/3 Triple-A frames and an even more troublesome 6.56 mark in 23 1/3 MLB innings. That said, Sands has fanned and walked batters at a better-than-average rate while also being plagued by sky-high averages on balls in play (.404 in Triple-A, 3.62 in the Majors).

Twins Claim Austin Davis From Red Sox

By | at

The Twins have claimed reliever Austin Davis off waivers from the Red Sox, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive. Davis had been designated for assignment on Sunday.

The 29-year-old left-hander spent some time with the Phillies and Pirates to begin his career. The Red Sox acquired him from the Bucs in a July 2021 trade that sent Michael Chavis to Pittsburgh. After the trade, Davis put up a 4.86 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, along with a 22.7% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 47.1% ground ball rate. This year, he has a 5.47 ERA through 54 1/3 innings, striking out 24% of batters but walking 11.4% of them.

Boston decided to shake up their struggling bullpen recently, with Davis among those to get the cut. The Twins had an open spot on their 40-man roster and used it to pick him up. Active rosters expand from 26 to 28 tomorrow, which should make it easy for Davis to fit in there. He will join Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran as lefty options out of Minnesota’s bullpen. Because he has joined the club’s 40-man roster prior to tonight’s 11:59pm ET postseason eligibility deadline, he will have the chance to earn a spot on the club’s playoff team. That will likely involve him having improved results in his new uniform, in addition to the Twins gaining ground in the Wild Card race, where they are currently three games behind the Blue Jays for the last spot.

Red Sox To Designate Austin Davis For Assignment

By | at

The Red Sox are going to designate left-hander Austin Davis for assignment before Monday’s game against the Twins, according to Chad Jennings of The Athletic.

Davis, 29, spent time with the Phillies and Pirates before coming over to the Red Sox last year in a deadline deal that sent Michael Chavis to Pittsburgh. After that trade, Davis pitched adequately, registering a 4.86 ERA in 16 2/3 innings, along with a 22.7% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 47.1% ground ball rate.

As Jennings points out, 2022 started out well for Davis, as he held a 2.55 ERA through July 8. Since that time, however, he’s been rocked to an ERA of 11.12. His 24.7% strikeout rate in that time is slightly above the 23.5% league average for relievers. However, his 12.9% walk rate is well beyond the 9.1% average.

Given that extended slide, it seems the Sox have decided to move on and cut Davis from the roster. It’s not known what other moves will be made in conjunction with this one, but a spot will be opened on Boston’s active roster as well as its 40-man roster. Given that we are in the post-deadline part of the season, the Red Sox will have no choice but to put Davis on outright waivers or release waivers. Davis began the year with his service time at 2.098, meaning he’s beyond the three-year mark at this point of the year, as 172 days are required to fulfill a “year” in this department. By getting beyond the three-year threshold, he’s earned the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of electing free agency.

Red Sox, Pirates Swap Austin Davis And Michael Chavis

By | at

The Red Sox announced the acquisition of lefty reliever Austin Davis from the Pirates, sending infielder Michael Chavis back to Pittsburgh in a one-for-one deal.

It’s a bit of a surprising pickup for Boston, since an elbow sprain has limited Davis to just 9 2/3 innings this year. He’s allowed seven runs (six earned) in that brief look, striking out eleven and issuing five walks. This is his fourth season seeing some action at the big league level, as the 28-year-old previously pitched for the Phillies and Pittsburgh from 2018-20. Altogether, he has a 5.65 ERA/4.04 SIERA in 71 2/3 innings.

Davis still has a pair of minor league option years remaining and hasn’t yet reached arbitration, though. He’ll give the Sox a flexible southpaw relief option who can be moved back and forth between Boston and Triple-A Worcester so long as he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Chavis was a one-time highly-regarded prospect, so it’s easy to see the appeal for the Pirates. Pittsburgh general manager Ben Cherington was leading the Boston front office when the Red Sox selected Chavis in the first round of the 2014 draft. The right-handed hitter has bounced on and off the big league roster over the past three years, picking up a little more than the equivalent of one full season’s worth of playing time. Chavis has a .234/.291/.413 line across 622 big league plate appearances to date.

He’s been too strikeout-prone to this point, but there’s little harm for the rebuilding Bucs in giving him a look. Chavis has the minor league pedigree and defensive flexibility — he’s seen time at each of first, second and third base, as well as in left field — to be an intriguing buy-low pickup. Chavis can still be optioned for the remainder of this season and next.

Robert Murray of FanSided reported the Red Sox were acquiring Davis. Keith Law of the Athletic reported that Chavis was going to the Pirates in return.

Pirates Place Mitch Keller On Injured List, Activate Colin Moran

By | at

11:17 am: Pittsburgh isn’t ruling out the possibility Keller could make his next scheduled start Thursday against the Dodgers, GM Ben Cherington said (via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette).

9:31 am: The Pirates announced they’ve activated first baseman Colin Moran and reliever Austin Davis from the injured list. Starter Mitch Keller has been placed on the COVID-19 IL, while utilityman Cole Tucker was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis.

Moran has been out of action for just under a month as a result of a left groin injury. Before going down, the 28-year-old had gotten off to a fantastic start at the plate. Moran has hit .297/.352/.468 with four home runs over his first 122 plate appearances. If he continues to produce at that level, he figures to draw some interest from contenders in advance of the July 30 trade deadline. Moran is controllable through 2023 via arbitration, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the rebuilding Bucs were willing to discuss him in trade as they continue to bolster the farm system.

Keller was removed from his start on Friday with what the team termed a “heat illness.” It’s not clear if that issue is related to his current IL placement. The 25-year-old has made eleven starts this season, tossing 44 2/3 innings of 6.65 ERA/6.94 SIERA ball. The team didn’t provide a timetable for Keller’s return.

With Keller going on the COVID injured list, the Pirates created the 40-man roster spot necessary to reinstate Davis. The southpaw hasn’t pitched this year on account of an elbow sprain, spending the entire season to date on the 60-day IL. Davis has a 5.66 ERA/4.04 SIERA in parts of three seasons with the Phillies and Pirates.

Pirates Acquire Dustin Fowler From Athletics

By | at

5:59pm: The teams have announced the trade. To make room for Fowler on their 40-man roster, the Pirates placed southpaw Austin Davis on the 60-day injured list with a left elbow sprain.

4:28pm: The Pirates have acquired outfielder Dustin Fowler from the Athletics for cash considerations, according to Rob Biertempfel of The Athletic. Fowler spent a brief time in limbo after the A’s designated him for assignment Monday.

Pittsburgh will be the third big league organization for the 26-year-old Fowler, who began as an 18th-round pick of the Yankees in 2013. Fowler performed well as a minor leaguer with the Yankees and made his major league debut with the team in June 2017, but he suffered a brutal knee injury in his first game and never donned their uniform again. The Yankees wound up trading Fowler to the A’s a month later in the teams’ deal centering on right-hander Sonny Gray.

Fowler ranked as Baseball America’s 88th-best prospect in 2018, and he rebounded from his injury that year in Triple-A, where he batted .341/.364/.520 with four home runs in 13 stolen bases across 239 plate appearances. While Fowler also earned a good amount of playing time in Oakland that season, he slumped to a .224/.256/.354 line with six homers and a half-dozen steals in 203 PA and hasn’t appeared in the majors since. Fowler slashed .277/.333/.477 with 25 homers and 12 stolen bags over 606 tries during the most recent Triple-A campaign in 2019.

Although Fowler’s career hasn’t gone according to plan so far, there’s no real harm in taking a chance on his potential from the Pirates’ standpoint. Fowler may have a legitimate chance to earn a roster spot with outfielder-needy Pittsburgh, but with no minor league options remaining, the club won’t be able to send him down without potentially losing him.

Pirates Announce Three Trades

By | at

The Pittsburgh Pirates announced a trio of trades today. The first deal completes their August deal for Austin Davis, which the Phillies announced earlier today. The Pirates sent right-hander Joel Cesar to Philadelphia to complete that transaction. Davis, 27, has 3 scoreless appearances since joining the Buccos.

The other two trades helped build the Pirates’ 2019-2020 international pool money. The Pirates sent left-hander Domingo Robles to the St. Louis Cardinals and right-hander Connor Loeprich to the Baltimore Orioles in separate trades for international pool money.

Robles, 22, signed with the Pirates on the first day of the international signing period in 2014. Across 5 seasons in the Pittsburgh system, Robles owns a 27-36 record with a 3.76 ERA and 6.4 K/9 to 2.1 BB/9. The Dominican southpaw made it as high as Double-A as a 21-year-old in 2019, going 4-6 with a 4.02 ERA across 103 innings. He was not among the Pirates top 42 prospects listed by Fangraphs at the start of 2020, nor the top 30 listed by Baseball America.

Loeprich turned 23-years-old this month, and he’ll now report to a new team in the Baltimore. Loeprich made it to High-A in 2019, though he spent the greater part of the year with Single-A Greensboro. In two seasons since being drafted out of St. Mary’s College of California, the 6’3″ right-hander sports a 3.68 ERA over 124 2/3 innings with 9.1 K/9 to 2.8 BB/9. Loeprich has largely worked out of the bullpen with only 8 starts out of 55 total minor-league appearances.

Phillies Acquire Joel Cesar To Complete Austin Davis Trade

By | at

The Phillies announced that right-hander Joel Cesar has been acquired from the Pirates.  Cesar acts as the player to be named later from the August 26 trade that sent Austin Davis to Pittsburgh.

Cesar was a member of the Pirates’ 2015-16 international signing class, and the righty has posted some solid results over four seasons on the farm.  Cesar has a 3.18 ERA, 2.06 K/BB rate, and 8.7 K/9 over 138 2/3 innings, working as a reliever in 87 of his 90 career games.

The 24-year-old has yet to pitch beyond the Double-A level, though a Triple-A assignment would have been likely had there been a 2020 minor league season.  Cesar wasn’t included in Pittsburgh’s 60-man player pool, though he’ll now join Philadelphia’s 60-man mix and report to the Phils’ alternate training site.

Show all

MLB Trade Rumors is not affiliated with Major League Baseball, MLB or MLB.com

hide arrowsFOX Sports Engage Network scroll to top