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Cody Morris

Yankees Release Cody Morris

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The Yankees released right-hander Cody Morris, as per Morris’ MLB.com profile page.  Morris was initially acquired from the Guardians in a trade last December, and the reliever was outrighted off New York’s 40-man roster back in July but remained in the organization until this week.

A seventh-round pick for Cleveland in the 2018 draft, Morris debuted in the Show with a 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings with the Guardians in 2022, though both a teres major strain and continued control problems resulted in a 6.75 ERA over just eight big league frames in 2023.  These 31 2/3 total innings remain the entirety of Morris’ MLB resume, as he didn’t receive any official playing time with the Yankees even though New York gave him a couple of brief call-ups to the 26-man roster.

Morris instead spent most of the year at Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he posted a 4.03 ERA in 38 innings, along with a strong 27.1% strikeout rate.  Morris has long been able to miss bats dating back to his college days with South Carolina, yet he has increasingly run into control issues in both the majors and upper minors.  He had a 15.3% walk rate at Triple-A this season, and Morris’ brief time in the big leagues saw him post a 13% walk rate during his 31 2/3 total innings.  The loss of control has more or less coincided with Morris’ move to being more or less a full-time relief pitcher over the last two seasons.

Since strikeout ability will always catch a team’s attention, Morris is likely to land somewhere on a minor league contract.  At age 28, Morris still has late-bloomer potential, and an enterprising pitching coach or two might have some ideas about how to solve Morris’ control problems.

Yankees Outright Cody Morris

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The Yankees announced this afternoon that they’ve assigned right-hander Cody Morris outright to Triple-A. Morris was designated for assignment by the club last week to make room for right-hander Scott Effross on the 40-man roster. Morris does not have the ability to reject the outright assignment and will report for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Morris, 27, was acquired by the Yankees in a trade that sent outfielder Estevan Florial to the Guardians this past offseason. He was recalled to the big league roster briefly with the Yankees earlier this year but did not make an appearance before being optioned and has yet to make his big league debut for the club. That’s not to say Morris is without any big league experience, however, as he pitched for the Guardians in Cleveland in each of the past two seasons. The 2022 campaign saw Morris act as a spot starter for the Guardians, and he did well in the role, posting a strong 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings of work despite an elevated 12% walk rate.

The righty’s issues with control came back to bite him in 2023, however, as he walked a whopping 15.8% of batters faced in the majors that year and surrendered a 6.75 ERA in six relief appearances totaling eight innings of work. Morris’s issues last year extended to the minor leagues as well. While Morris’s 3.73 ERA in 33 2/3 innings of work at Triple-A last year looks perfectly serviceable, he allowed five homers in that time while walking 17.4% of batters faced. That left him with a 5.53 FIP and 5.09 xFIP in the minors last year.

Since being acquired by the Yankees, Morris has generally performed similarly with the club at Triple-A. While his 25.8% strikeout rate in 36 innings of work this year is certainly impressive, it’s outweighed by a hefty 16% walk rate that has left him with a 4.25 ERA and 4.58 FIP even as he’s substantially tamped down his proclivity for allowing home runs. Now that he’s off the Yankees’ 40-man roster, he figures to remain in the organization for the remainder of the year as a non-roster depth option for the club’s bullpen. Even in that regard, however, Morris is likely buried on the club’s depth chart by non-roster veterans like Tim Mayza, Chasen Shreve, and Art Warren.

Yankees Designate Cody Morris, Reinstate Scott Effross

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The Yankees announced a pair of roster moves, including the news that right-hander Cody Morris has been designated for assignment.  The 40-man roster spot was required since right-hander Scott Effross was reinstated from the 60-day injured list, and then optioned to Triple-A.

Morris was acquired from the Guardians last December in exchange for Estevan Florial, and though Morris has been called up a couple of times this season, he has yet to make his official debut in a Yankees uniform.  At the Triple-A level, Morris has a 4.25 ERA over 36 innings for Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, with a glaring 16% walk rate undermining a solid 25.8% strikeout rate.

The control problems have been apparent during Morris’ brief run in the big leagues, as he has a 13.% walk rate over 31 2/3 innings with Cleveland in 2022-23, albeit with a 3.41 ERA.  The ERA breaks down as a 2.28 mark over 23 2/3 frames in 2022, but then a 6.75 ERA in eight innings last season, as Morris also missed time early in the season with a teres major strain.  Morris also had an inflated walk rate during his time with the Guardians’ Triple-A affiliate in 2023, which likely made him an expendable arm for the Guards in the offseason.

Morris has worked primarily as a reliever over the last two seasons, though usually in multi-inning fashion given his past usage as a starting pitcher.  This ability to eat innings out of the pen could make him an interesting candidate to be claimed off waivers, if a rival club is able to overlook his walks (or, thinks it can harness Morris’ control).  Morris has never been outrighted before in his career, so if clears waivers here, he’ll have to report to the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate in the event that the Yankees outright him off the 40-man roster rather than release him entirely.

The Cubs sent Effross to the Yankees at the trade deadline in 2022, and while his tenure in the Bronx had strong immediate results (a 2.13 ERA in 12 2/3 innings), Effross’ career was then put on hold by Tommy John surgery that October.  He also underwent a back surgery this past February that delayed his return even further, but Effross has posted a 3.86 ERA and very strong secondary metrics in 9 1/3 innings over eight appearances during his rehab assignment. Effross looks like an intriguing secret weapon to join New York’s bullpen at some point in the second half, which will be a boost to a team that figures to be looking for relief help anyway at this year’s deadline.

Yankees Place Clarke Schmidt On Injured List

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The Yankees announced today that right-hander Clarke Schmidt has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to May 27, with a right lat strain. Right-hander Cody Morris has been recalled in a corresponding move.

At this point, the full details of the injury aren’t clear. Schmidt started for the Yankees in San Diego on Sunday and all seemed fairly normal, as he tossed 101 pitches over five innings. It seems that Schmidt either felt sore after that start or perhaps aggravated something during a bullpen session. The club will likely provide more details about the issue and his expected absence in due time.

Regardless of how long Schmidt is out of action, this will interrupt what was shaping up to be a brilliant breakout season, something that MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently took a detailed look at. Thanks to some adjustments to his pitch mix, Schmidt has been able to have far better results this year than in the past.

Last year, he made 33 appearances for the Yanks, 32 of those being starts. He tossed 159 innings, allowing 4.64 earned runs per nine. He struck out 21.5% of batters faced while giving out walks at a 6.6% rate. Here in 2024, he’s thrown 60 2/3 innings over 11 starts with a 2.52 ERA, 27.1% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate.

That tremendous improvement has been huge for the Yankees, as they have been without their ace Gerrit Cole all year so far. Cole has been battling elbow inflammation since the spring but the rest of the rotation has stepped up in his absence. In addition to Schmidt’s strong work, each of Carlos Rodón, Nestor Cortes and Marcus Stroman have bounced back from injury-marred seasons in 2023. None of that trio has an ERA higher than 3.30 this season. Luis Gil, who hardly pitched in the past two years due to Tommy John surgery, has a 1.99 ERA so far.

That the Cole-less rotation has been so strong is a big reason why the Yankees are 38-19, the best record in the American League. Now they will have to reach beyond that starting group for essentially the first time this year. Cody Poteet started the second game of a doubleheader on April 13, but apart from that, every Yankee game this year has been started by the fivesome of Schmidt, Rodón, Cortes, Stroman and Gil.

Cole has yet to begin a rehab assignment and is therefore still weeks away. JT Brubaker, recovering from Tommy John surgery, hasn’t yet begun a rehab assignment either. Luke Weaver has plenty of starting experience but has been in a leverage role this year, earning seven holds, including five this month. Poteet and Clayton Beeter are on the minor league injured list. Yoendrys Gómez was just optioned three days ago and can’t be recalled for a 15-day period unless directly replacing an injured player. Will Warren is one of the club’s best pitching prospects but he has an ERA of 8.53 in Triple-A this year and isn’t yet on the 40-man roster.

How the Yanks play things will remain to be seen. They have an off-day on Monday and could perhaps do some kind of bullpen day on Saturday, when Schmidt was scheduled to start, before coming up with a better long-term solution next week.

Guardians Acquire Estevan Florial From Yankees

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The Yankees and Guardians have agreed on a trade that will send outfielder Estevan Florial to Cleveland in exchange for right-hander Cody Morris, per an announcement from both clubs.

The trade ends Florial’s tenure with the Yankees, with whom he signed out of the Dominican Republic back in 2015. After posting solid numbers in the lower levels of the minor leagues during his teenage years and reaching the High-A level before his 20th birthday, Florial began getting buzz as a consensus top-50 prospect throughout the sport prior to the 2018 season. Unfortunately, things came off the rails for Florial somewhat from there as the outfielder struggled at the High-A level in both 2018 and 2019. He made his big league debut during the shortened 2020 season and since then has served as a depth outfielder for the big league Yankees, with 48 appearances in the majors total in his four-year big league career.

While Florial, 26, has managed a slash line of just .209/.313/.296 across his 134 career plate appearances in the majors, his time in the minor leagues has seen him improve substantially in recent years. Fl0rial sports a career slash line of .265/.358/.490 at the Triple-A level, with an even more impressive .284/.380/.565 slash line in 101 games at the level in 2023. Given Florial’s extremely limited big league exposure to this point in his career, it’s easy to imagine him finding some level of success in Cleveland, where he should have a clear path to at least semi-regular at-bats. The Guardians put forth the third-worst outfield unit in the majors last year by measure of wRC+, as the club’s outfielders collectively hit just .250/.312/.342. Florial could challenge the likes of Ramon Laureano and Myles Straw for regular playing time alongside Steven Kwan, who appears locked into left field entering the 2024 campaign.

In exchange for Florial’s services, the Guardians are parting with Morris. The 27-year-old right-hander was the club’s seventh-round pick in the 2018 draft and first made his big league debut in 2022, where he performed well in seven appearances (five starts). While Morris posted an elevated walk rate of 12% that pushed his FIP up to 4.34, he struck out a respectable 23% of batters faced and managed an excellent 2.28 ERA in 23 2/3 innings of work during his first season in the majors.

In the minor leagues, Morris was even more impressive, with a career 1.68 ERA and a 37.8% strikeout rate in 80 1/3 innings of work between the Double-A and Triple-A levels as the 2022 campaign came to a close. Morris opened the 2023 season on the injured list due to a teres major strain but returned to action in June. While the right-hander put up respectable numbers at Triple-A, including a 3.23 ERA in 39 innings of work across 21 appearances, he struggled badly across six relief appearances in the majors with a 6.75 ERA over eight innings of work.

Despite Morris’s struggles with injury and ineffectiveness at the big league level last year, he provides the Yankees with an interesting, optionable arm who has experience pitching both out of the rotation and in the bullpen with strong numbers at the minor league level and some small-sample size success at the big league level. That type of arm would surely be attractive to just about any club, but could be particularly appealing to the Yankees after the club shipped cost-controlled pitchers like Michael King, Randy Vasquez, and Jhony Brito to San Diego as part of the package that landed the club Juan Soto earlier this month.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Guardians Place Cal Quantrill On 15-Day IL

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The Guardians have informed reporters, including Zack Meisel of The Athletic, that right-hander Cal Quantrill has landed back on the 15-day injured list due to right shoulder inflammation. Right-hander Cody Morris was recalled to take his roster spot.

It’s been a challenging year for Quantrill, who posted a 5.61 ERA through the end of May and then landed on the IL due to shoulder inflammation. He returned a week ago and made two more starts but was shelled for 11 earned runs over 7 2/3 innings in those, raising his season ERA to 6.45 and now landing back on the IL due to the same shoulder ailment.

He’s proven himself quite capable of being a solid starter when healthy, as he tossed 336 innings over 2021 and 2022 with a 3.16 ERA. He only struck out 18% of batters faced in that time but kept his walks to a 6.8% clip and got grounders on 42.6% of balls in play.

There’s been a few twists in the Cleveland rotation this year, with Quantrill’s struggles as well as those of Zach Plesac, who has been outrighted off the roster. Triston McKenzie has also been injured for most of the season. That’s forced them to turn to prospects like Tanner Bibee, Gavin Williams and Logan Allen as the season has gone along, slotting those youngsters next to Shane Bieber and Aaron Civale. The club’s starters as a whole have a 4.35 ERA that’s 15th in the league but enough to keep them afloat in a weak division. Their 42-44 record puts them just two games back of the Twins in the American League Central. When Quantrill came off the IL last week, Allen was optioned to the minors and could perhaps be recalled to retake his rotation spot after the upcoming All-Star break.

The club’s status over the next few weeks will make them an interesting player as the August 1 deadline approaches. They have frequently traded players, especially pitchers, as they get into their arbitration years and become more expensive. Corey Kluber, Trevor Bauer and Mike Clevinger have all been traded in recent years and replaced by younger and cheaper hurlers from within. With the emergence of Williams, Bibee and Allen, it’s been speculated that the club could look to move someone like Bieber or Civale for more offense at this year’s deadline. Though the Guardians are still in contention, so few clubs are clear sellers this year that swaps between contenders might become a common theme.

The Guards will have a few weeks to assess Quantrill’s health, but it may have an impact on their willingness to move someone from their rotation in such a deal. Earlier today, MLBTR published a list of the top 50 deadline trade candidates and listed Bieber and Civale in the #8 and the #20 spots, respectively, though that was before the news of Quantrill’s return to the IL.

Guardians Designate Richie Palacios For Assignment

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The Guardians made a series of roster moves this morning, per Zack Meisel of The Athletic. Infielder Richie Palacios has been designated for assignment and left-hander Tim Herrin has been optioned to Triple-A in order to make room for right-hander Cody Morris, who was activated from the 60-day IL this morning.

A third round pick by Cleveland in the 2018 draft, Palacios made his MLB debut for the club last year, though he struggled to a .232/.293/.286 slash line (good for a wRC+ of just 65) in 54 games with the club. Those struggles came in spite of fantastic minor league numbers, as Palacios hit at an above average level at every stop on his minor league journey until his major league debut. That includes a 2021 campaign where he slashed an impressive .297/.404/.471 in 103 games split between the Double-A and Triple-A levels.

Unfortunately, things have taken a turn for the worse for Palacios in 2023, as the young infielder has failed to hit even at the Triple-A level, with a meager .217/.351/.318 slash line that’s good for a wRC+ of just 78 in 56 games with Columbus this season. Those struggles have seemingly caused the Guardians to pull the plug on Palacios, who they will now have seven days to trade or attempt to pass through waivers.

As a 26-year-old infielder with positional versatility, past success in the minors, and options remaining, Palacios seems likely to be an attractive option for infield-needy clubs on the waiver wire, though if he were to pass through waivers he would not be able to reject an outright assignment from the Guardians.

Herrin, 26, heads to Columbus after making his major league debut earlier this season. In ten appearances with the Guardians, the lefty struggled to a 6.39 ERA across 12 2/3 innings of work, allowing two home runs, five walks, and hitting a batter. Those issues with the long ball and control hampered Herrin even as he posted a solid 25.5% strikeout rate in the majors. Herrin figures to act as bullpen depth for Cleveland going forward in Triple-A, where he has posted a 3.63 ERA in 17 1/3 innings of work this season.

Those moves pave the way for the return of Morris, a 26-year-old right-hander who made an impressive big league debut with the Guardians last season. In seven appearances split between the bullpen and the rotation, Morris posted a 2.28 ERA (170 ERA+), though his 4.34 FIP indicates there may have been some good fortune in those run prevention numbers, particularly given the fact that his 12% walk rate and 35.4% groundball rate all leave something to be desired.

Still, Morris’s minor league numbers are certainly intriguing, with a career 1.68 ERA and a 37.8% strikeout rate in 80 1/3 innings of work between the Double-A and Triple-A levels. After opening the season on the injured list with a teres major strain, Morris now figures to assist the Guardians pitching staff as an option for both the rotation and the bullpen going forward, though he seems ticketed for the bullpen for the time being.

Guardians Select Cam Gallagher, Meibrys Viloria

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The Guardians announced a few transactions as they set their Opening Day roster. Catchers Cam Gallagher and Meibrys Viloria both make the club, as Cleveland will go with two depth options behind starter Mike Zunino.

Neither Gallagher nor Viloria had been on the 40-man roster after signing minor league deals over the winter. To create space, Cleveland designated right-hander Jason Bilous for assignment and placed righty Cody Morris on the 60-day injured list.

Gallagher has played in parts of six major league campaigns, all of which have come as a member of the Royals. Working as Salvador Pérez’s backup for the bulk of that time, he put together a cumulative .240/.302/.355 line over 469 plate appearances. Kansas City traded Gallagher to San Diego at last summer’s deadline, and he also spent time with the Orioles. He didn’t get an MLB chance with either club but now returns to the majors in Cleveland.

Viloria is a lefty-swinging catcher who also previously played in Kansas City. He’s gotten into 93 major league games as a member of the Royals and Rangers over the past five years, hitting .201/.270/.283. The 26-year-old had an excellent .280/.422/.440 line in 218 plate appearances for Texas’ Triple-A affiliate last year.

Neither Gallagher nor Viloria can be optioned to the minor leagues. Barring injury, the Guardians will have to continue carrying all three catchers in the majors or eventually make one of them available to other teams via trade or waivers. It’s unclear how long Cleveland will be able to maintain that level of roster flexibility but they’re comfortable doing so out of the gate.

Bilous was claimed off waivers from the White Sox last month. The Coastal Carolina product has yet to make his major league debut. He split the 2022 season between Chicago’s top two affiliates, combining for a 6.30 ERA across 105 2/3 innings. He’d posted better numbers in the low minors but has yet to find much success against upper level hitters. Cleveland will have a week to trade the 25-year-old or look to run him through waivers.

Morris impressed over seven appearances late last season as a rookie. He could’ve battled for a back-of-the-rotation spot if healthy but he’s been sidelined by soreness in the terms major muscle in his throwing shoulder. He won’t make his season debut until at least the end of May.

Guardians Announce ALDS Roster

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The Guardians defeated the Rays in the Wild Card round and will now face the Yankees in the ALDS. They have announced their roster for the second round, with a few changes from last time. Right-hander Nick Sandlin and left-hander Kirk McCarty have been replaced by righties Aaron Civale and Cody Morris. The full roster breaks down like this…

Right-Handed Pitchers

Left-Handed Pitchers

Catcher

Infielders

Outfielders

The removal of Sandlin is not surprising, as it was reported yesterday that he has a strain in his upper back/shoulder that will keep him out of action for the remainder of the postseason. That will deprive the Guardians of a reliever who tossed 44 innings in the regular season this year, posting an ERA of 2.25 while getting grounders on 55.9% of balls in play.

McCarty was one of two lefties on the club’s Wild Card roster and his removal for the ALDS leaves Hentges as the only southpaw for the Guards to deploy against the Yankees. The Yankees have a lineup that leans right-handed, with Anthony Rizzo and Matt Carpenter the only two who hit exclusively from the left side. They also have a handful of switch-hitters in Aaron Hicks, Oswaldo Cabrera and Marwin Gonzalez. McCarty registered a 4.54 ERA in 37 2/3 frames at the big league level this year, though a much better 3.58 ERA over 65 1/3 innings in Triple-A. Hentges, on the other hand, had an outstanding campaign, throwing 62 innings with a 2.32 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate, 7.8% walk rate and 61.5% ground ball rate. He also tossed the last three scoreless innings in the club’s 15-inning 1-0 victory over the Rays on Saturday.

Both Civale and Morris have the potential to give Cleveland some length, whenever they are needed. Civale made 20 starts this year and threw 97 innings. His 4.92 ERA isn’t especially impressive, though a lot of that damage was done over his first six starts. Since mid-May, he’s had a much more respectable 3.24 ERA. Morris missed the first few months of the season with a shoulder strain but eventually made 16 appearances between the majors and minors, which included five starts in the big leagues. This year’s ALDS features a unique schedule where there are off-days after the first and second games, with the final three being played on consecutive days, if necessary. After going with Quantrill, Bieber and McKenzie in the first three games, the Guardians could potentially turn to Quantrill on regular rest in game four and then Bieber on short rest in game five. Civale and Morris could contribute multiple innings at some point over the series, depending on how it progresses.

Pitching was the big storyline in the series against Tampa, as Cleveland held onto narrow victories of 2-1 and 1-0 in the Wild Card round. They will be facing a more potent offense this time around though, as Tampa’s .239/.309/.377 batting line for the year was just a hair above average, as evidenced by their collective 101 wRC+. The Yankees slashed .241/.325/.426 for a wRC+ of 115, the fourth-best mark in the majors.

Zack Meisel of The Athletic was among those to relay the roster changes prior to the official announcement.

Guardians Place Zach Plesac, Aaron Civale On Injured List

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3:22pm: Manager Terry Francona tells reporters that the team believes Plesac suffered the fracture in his last start, when he punched the ground in frustration after surrendering a home run to Jake Lamb (Twitter link via Mandy Bell of MLB.com).

That’s the second time in his career that Plesac has sustained an injury while expressing frustration. He broke his right thumb last May when “aggressively” tearing off his shirt following a poor outing against the Twins. Plesac was also disciplined by the team in 2020 after violating the club’s Covid-19 protocols and subsequently voicing his frustration in a since-deleted Instagram video.

2:54pm: Plesac has a fractured fifth metacarpal (pinkie finger) in his right hand, the team announced.

2:47pm: The Guardians have placed right-handers Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale on the injured list — Plesac due to a fractured right hand and Civale due to forearm inflammation. Right-hander Cody Morris, just reinstated from the 60-day injured list yesterday when rosters expanded to 28 players, will make his Major League debut and start tonight’s game in place of Plesac. Cleveland has recalled right-hander Xzavion Curry and lefty Kirk McCarty from Triple-A Columbus to take the spots of Plesac and Civale on the active roster.

Plesac, 27, is fourth on the Guardians in games started (23) and innings pitched (127). He’s worked to a 4.39 ERA with an 18.1% strikeout rate, 6.8% walk rate and 40.7% grounder rate. ERA alternatives like FIP (4.50) and SIERA (4.40) generally agree with that assessment of his work so far in 2022. It’s not in line with the form that Plesac displayed in his first two seasons, when he logged a 3.32 ERA through his first 29 big league starts, but he’s settled in as a viable back-of-the-rotation option in Cleveland over the past couple seasons.

Civale, also 27, is making his third trip to the injured list this season. He’s missed time with a glute injury and a sprained right wrist, but this is his first forearm-related issue on the season. While Civale’s overall 5.40 ERA is an obvious eyesore, he’s pitched quite well of late. Since returning from that wrist injury in late June, he’s taken the ball on nine occasions and worked to a 3.68 ERA while striking out exactly a quarter of his opponents and issuing walks at a tidy 6.1% clip.

It’s a poorly timed pair of injuries for the Guardians — not that there’s a “good” time to place 40% of a rotation on the injured list — as they’ve already dropped back-to-back games and seen the Twins climb back to within one game of the AL Central lead. The White Sox, meanwhile, have picked up back-to-back wins and trimmed their own deficit to a manageable four games. The AL Central, at this point, is the only division in Major League Baseball with three teams legitimately vying for the division crown.

With two vacancies in the rotation, the Guardians can turn to Morris and Curry as alternatives in the short-term. The 25-year-old Morris could potentially have been in the rotation right now had he not suffered a strained teres major back in Spring Training — an injury that shelved him until early August. He was selected to the 40-man roster in November after posting a dominant 1.62 ERA and 93-to-20 K/BB ratio in 61 minor league innings last year, and he’s been outstanding on his minor league rehab stint thus far. Between the 2021-22 seasons, Morris has 52 innings of Triple-A ball under his belt, during which he’s posted a 1.90 ERA with a huge 40.6% strikeout rate against an 8.9% walk rate.

Curry, meanwhile, made his MLB debut earlier this season, allowing three runs in a five-inning spot start against the visiting Tigers. The 24-year-old is generally ranked between Cleveland’s No. 10 and No. 20 prospect on various evaluations of the system. He’s been hit pretty hard in two Triple-A starts since being sent back to the minors, but his overall numbers between Double-A and Triple-A this season remain solid: 4.00 ERA, 25.9% strikeout rate, 8.3% walk rate in 108 innings.

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