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Dan Altavilla

Royals Select Walter Pennington

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The Royals announced today that they have reinstated infielder/outfielder Adam Frazier from the injured list and selected the contract of left-hander Walter Pennington. In corresponding moves, they optioned infielder CJ Alexander and right-hander Carlos Hernández. To open a 40-man spot for Pennington, right-hander Dan Altavilla was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

Pennington, 26, signed with the Royals as an undrafted free agent in 2020. That year’s draft was reduced to just five rounds due to the pandemic. Since then, he has been climbing the minor league ladder, getting lots of strikeouts and ground balls but also struggling with command at times.

Last year, he tossed 70 2/3 innings between Double-A and Triple-A, allowing 3.18 earned runs per nine frames. He struck out 25.5% of batters faced and got grounders on more than half of the balls allowed in play, but he also gave out walks at an 11.9% clip. Here in 2024, he’s tossed 53 2/3 innings over 32 Triple-A appearances. He has a huge 35.3% strikeout rate and 52.6% ground ball rate, also reducing his walk rate to 8.8%.

That strong performance will get him called up to the big leagues for the first time. He’ll provide the Royals with a left-handed reliever, one capable of pitching multiple innings per outing. 14 of his 32 appearances this year have been for two innings or longer, with Pennington getting as high as four frames.

As for Altavilla, he landed on the 15-day IL on June 2o due to a right oblique strain. He’ll now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that initial IL placement, which would be the middle of August.

Royals Select Dan Altavilla

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The Royals announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Dan Altavilla. The club already had a 40-man vacancy. Right-hander Will Klein was optioned to open an active roster spot.

Altavilla, 31, signed a minor league deal with the Royals in the offseason. He has since made 24 appearances for Triple-A Omaha, allowing 2.63 earned runs per nine innings. That’s at least partially luck, as he has been giving out walks at a 12.8% clip and can’t continue stranding 91.8% of baserunners forever. But his 27.5% strikeout rate with the Storm Chasers was quite strong and he’s also been getting grounders on 44.6% of balls in play.

That performance will get Altavilla back to the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He made 119 appearances in the majors from 2016 to 2021 with a 4.03 ERA, 26.1% strikeout rate, 12.1% walk rate and 38.8% ground ball rate. But he underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2021 and hasn’t made it back to the majors until now.

He signed a two-year minor league deal with the Red Sox and didn’t pitch in any official capacity in 2022. He returned to the mound last year but struggled to get back in form right away. He tossed 12 innings on the farm last year with an ERA of 3.00, but he was helped by a tiny .194 batting average on balls in play as he only struck out 14.3% of opponents while giving out walks at a 10.2% clip.

The Sox released him in August but his new deal with the Royals seems to have allowed him to get back on track. It was reported last week that the Royals are looking for bullpen help, with some more swing-and-miss a specific target area. Altavilla could perhaps give the club an internal source of that upgrade they are looking for, based on his strikeout numbers this year and earlier in his career.

If Altavilla clicks, perhaps that will alter the club’s approach prior to the July 30 trade deadline. If it doesn’t work out, he’s likely to end up designated for assignment since he is out of options. But if he manages to hang onto his roster spot through the end of the schedule, he can be retained for next year via arbitration since he has less than five years of major league service time.

Royals, Dan Altavilla Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Royals and right-hander Dan Altavilla are in agreement on a minor league deal with an invite to major league Spring Training, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The righty is a client of the MAS Agency.

Altavilla, 31, is coming off three mostly lost seasons due to June 2021 Tommy John surgery. He later signed a two-year minor league deal with the Red Sox, with that club realizing Altavilla likely wouldn’t contribute much or anything at all in 2022. He returned to the mound in July of 2023, making four appearances in the Complex League and another four in High-A. In his 12 innings pitched, he allowed four earned runs, walked five opponents and struck out seven. The Sox released him in August.

He didn’t sign with another affiliated club as the season was winding down but did go to the Dominican Republic for winter ball. He’s made 10 appearances for Tigres del Licey, with nine strikeouts, three walks and two earned runs allowed. Heyman reports that he was hitting 98mph in that showing.

Prior to the lengthy injury odyssey, Altavilla had some major league experience with the Mariners and Padres, showing an ability for big strikeouts but also control concerns. He currently has a career earned run average of 4.03 in 116 big league innings. He struck out 26.1% of batters in that time but also walked 12.1%.

The Royals have plenty of room in their bullpen for some guys to step up and take jobs. Scott Barlow and Aroldis Chapman were both traded last year, removing two of the higher-leverage guys. They have since acquired Nick Anderson, but there’s still not a lot of certainty in the relief mix. If Altavilla is in good form and gets a roster spot, he could be retained for another season via arbitration since his service time is still below the five-year mark. He is out of options, however, meaning he wouldn’t have the ability to be sent back down to the minors without being exposed to waivers.

Red Sox Release Dan Altavilla

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The Red Sox have released right-hander Dan Altavilla, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive. The righty will now head to the open market in search of his next opportunity.

Altavilla, now 30, signed a two-year minor league deal with the Sox going into last year. That was a reflection of the fact that he underwent Tommy John surgery in June of 2021 while with the Padres. He was outrighted by that club and became a free agent at season’s end but wasn’t likely to be able to provide too much in 2022, which led to the two-year deal with Boston. Such deals are somewhat common for players facing long rehabs, allowing the player to lock in some money and access team facilities while giving the club some longer control over their services.

The righty didn’t make it into any official action last year and began 2023 on the injured list as well. He finally began a rehab assignment over a month ago and made eight appearances in the minor leagues since then. He tossed 12 innings in those, allowing four earned runs for an ERA of 3.00. However, his 14.3% strikeout rate and 10.2% walk rate were both uninspiring in that small sample. It seems the Sox didn’t have much confidence in him providing much value to them down the stretch and have let him go.

He could still get chances elsewhere based on his pre-Tommy John track record. He made 119 appearances in the majors from 2016 to 2021, split between the Mariners and Padres. He had a 4.03 ERA in that time, with a high 12.1% walk rate but a strong 26.1% strikeout rate. He averaged around 97 mph on his fastball for much of that span and was able to touch triple digits at times. If he’s able to get himself back on track and earn a roster spot, he’ll have the potential to be retained for multiple years as his service time count is currently at four years and 63 days.

Red Sox Sign Dan Altavilla To Two-Year Minors Deal

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The Red Sox have signed right-hander Dan Altavilla to a two-year minor league contract, according to MLB Network’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link).  The length of the deal reflects Altavilla’s health status, as he underwent Tommy John surgery last June and will miss at least half of the 2022 season.

Between a season-opening calf injury and then his elbow problems, Altavilla only pitched 1 1/3 innings over two games with the Padres in 2021.  The righty has appeared in each of the last six MLB seasons, though in a somewhat limited capacity (116 total innings) that reflects his inconsistency.  Altavilla has a solid 26.1% strikeout rate over his career, but a 12.1% walk rate and 12.4% home run rate have limited his effectiveness out of the Seattle and San Diego bullpens.

With a fastball that averages 96.7 mph, Altavilla brings plenty of heat, and the Red Sox are betting that they can harness that potential once the right-hander is healthy.  Given the usual 12-15 month rehab period time for Tommy John patients, Altavilla could potentially return for a good portion of the coming season, if his recovery process goes smoothly.  The additional year on the minors contract gives both Altavilla and the Sox some extra security in giving him all the time he needs to get back into form.

Dan Altavilla Undergoes Tommy John Surgery

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Padres reliever Dan Altavilla has undergone Tommy John surgery, he announced on Twitter. That’ll obviously prevent him from pitching again in 2021, and he’s likely to miss most or all of the 2022 season given the procedure’s 12-16 month general recovery timetable.

Altavilla made two appearances this year before going on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. He was transferred to the 60-day IL in late May. Evidently, his attempts to rehab the injury without surgery proved unsuccessful.

The 28-year-old has pitched in the majors in each of the past six seasons. Altavilla broke in with the Mariners and went to San Diego before last summer’s trade deadline as part of the seven-player Austin Nola deal. In 116 MLB innings, the right-hander has worked to a 4.03 ERA/4.11 SIERA with an above-average 26.1% strikeout rate but an elevated 12.1% walk percentage.

Altavilla signed an $850K deal with the Friars to avoid arbitration over the winter. Since he barely pitched this year, he’d be in line for the same or marginally higher amount if tendered a contract for 2022. That’s hardly bank-breaking money, but it’s possible the Padres decide to non-tender Altavilla rather than devote a 40-man roster spot to him all winter. (Players have to be reinstated from the IL over the offseason). If San Diego does tender Altavilla a contract, he’d be controllable through 2023.

Padres Place Dan Altavilla On 10-Day IL, Select Nick Ramirez

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The Padres have placed right-hander Dan Altavilla on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation, the team announced.  In corresponding moves, southpaw Nick Ramirez’s contract was selected to the big league roster, while left-hander Matt Strahm was shifted to the 60-day IL to create a 40-man roster spot for Ramirez.

It’s an unfortunate quick return to the sidelines for Altavilla, who was only just activated from a 10-day IL stint on Wednesday.  A calf injury was the cause of Altavilla’s previous absence, and the righty appeared in two games for the Padres before hitting the IL once more.  Altavilla allowed a solo homer to the Dodgers’ Luke Raley in Friday’s game and thus far has a 6.75 ERA over 1 1/3 innings pitched in 2021.

Acquired as part of the big seven-player deal with the Mariners last August, Altavilla has shown some flashes of quality but also a lot of inconsistency over 116 MLB innings since the start of the 2016 season.  Altavilla has a 4.03 ERA and an above-average 26.1% strikeout rate over his career, but both walks (12.1BB%) and home runs have been issues for the righty.

Ramirez inked a minor league contract with San Diego in December, and is now set to appear in his third MLB season.  The southpaw posted a 4.28 ERA over 90 1/3 innings with the Tigers, with 79 2/3 of those frames coming in his 2019 rookie season, but he pitched only 10 2/3 innings over five games in 2020.

Padres Activate Pierce Johnson, Dan Altavilla From Injured List

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The Padres carousel of relievers continues to turn, this time via the activations of Pierce Johnson and Dan Altavilla from the injured list. Both right-handers came into the season as key, if underrated pieces of the Friars’ bullpen makeup. Both will make their season debuts when they next get in a game.

In terms of corresponding moves, Nabil Crismatt has been optioned for the second time this season. Taylor Williams has also been placed on the injured list with right knee inflammation, per Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune (via Twitter). Crismatt impressed this spring while on a minor league contract, earning himself a place in the organization. The Padres are likely to see Crismatt a number of times this season, though since his option has been used, he’ll also remain a candidate for demotion.

Conversely, Williams does not have any options remaining. The 29-year-old has been solid in five appearances so far this season, giving up just one run over 5 1/3 innings. Williams played for the Brewers and Mariners before coming to the Padres in an under-the-radar trade at last season’s August trade deadline.

Altavilla also came to San Diego from Seattle at the trade deadline last year, but as part of the higher-profile trade the sent Ty France, Andres Munoz, Luis Torrens, and Taylor Trammell to the Mariners for Altavilla, Austin Adams, and Austin Nola. All three pieces of that deal started the season on the injured list for the Pads, though Adams just recently made his return.

Johnson returned to the States from Japan last season, quickly becoming a vital piece of manager Jayce Tingler’s relief corps. The Colorado native appeared in 24 games, pitching to a 2.70 ERA/3.14 FIP over 20 innings. Johnson and Altavilla now join a deep group of veteran right-handers in the Padres’ bullpen. Beyond Johnson, Altavilla, and Adams, Tingler can also call on Craig Stammen, Keone Kela or Emilio Pagan ahead of nominal closer Mark Melancon.

 

Padres Notes: Lamet, Johnson, Roster Decisions

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Padres righty Dinelson Lamet pitched multiple innings for the first time this spring Thursday, tweets A.J. Cassavell of MLB.com, albeit in a simulated-game setting. Lamet, whose 2020 season was truncated by a biceps injury that required a platelet-rich plasma injection in October, has yet to pitch in an actual Cactus League game since Spring Training began. Lamet tossed 17 innings in the first half of that simulated setup, and he returned from his downtime to toss another dozen pitches in the second “inning,” Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune tweets.

A concrete timeline for Lamet hasn’t been provided to this point, but he’s obviously a bit behind the rest of the Padres’ starters. Assuming he needs some additional time to ramp up early in the season, the Friars can still lean on Chris Paddack and Adrian Morejon to round out the rotation behind Yu Darvish, Blake Snell and Joe Musgrove. The 28-year-old Lamet broke out with a huge showing in a dozen starts last year, logging a 2.09 ERA/3.16 SIERA with an elite 34.8 percent strikeout rate and a very strong 7.5 percent walk rate.

More on the Padres…

  • Right-hander Pierce Johnson, who exited Tuesday’s Cactus League game early, has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 groin strain, tweets Acee. He’ll rest for a yet-to-be-determined period of time, though the club hopes that he can get in a couple more games by the end of camp, so it doesn’t sound like the current expectation is for him to miss any time during the regular season. Johnson, 29, returned to the Majors last season after a strong showing in Japan in 2019 and thrived in the San Diego bullpen. Through 20 innings of relief, the righty posted a 2.70 ERA with a gaudy 33.8 percent strikeout rate, though his 11.3 percent walk rate was also noticeably higher than the league average. He’s signed for $2MM in 2021, and at season’s end the Padres will decide on a $3MM club option or $1MM buyout.
  • Austin Nola’s fractured finger looks to have opened the door for Luis Campusano to make the Opening Day club, writes Dennis Lin of The Athletic in his latest roster projection for the Friars. San Diego is also “reluctant” to give up on Jorge Mateo’s defensive versatility and speed, Lin notes, and the fact that the out-of-options Mateo is also hitting well thus far (.355/.462/.516 in 39 PAs) likely tickets him for a bench spot as well. The bullpen could have some tougher decisions as well, given the lack of minor league options for Dan Altavilla and Taylor Williams — both of whom have struggled to this point.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 1/15/21

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The deadline to exchange arbitration figures is today at 1pm ET. As of this morning, there were 125 arbitration-eligible players who’d yet to agree to terms on their contract for the upcoming 2021 season. Arbitration is muddier than ever before thanks to the shortened 2020 schedule, which most believe will lead to record number of arb hearings this winter. Be that as it may, it’s still reasonable to expect dozens of contractual agreements to filter in over the next couple of hours.

We’ll highlight some of the more high-profile cases in separate posts with more in-depth breakdowns, but the majority of today’s dealings will be smaller-scale increases that don’t radically alter a team’s payroll or a player’s trade candidacy. As such, we’ll just run through most of today’s agreements in this post.

I’ve embedded MLBTR’s 2021 Arbitration Tracker in the post (those in the mobile app or viewing on mobile web will want to turn their phones sideways). Our tracker can be sorted by team, by service time and/or by Super Two status, allowing users to check the status on whichever groups of players they like. You can also check out Matt Swartz’s projected arbitration salaries for this year’s class, and we’ll do a quick sentence on each player’s agreement at the bottom of this post as well, with the most recent agreements sitting atop the list.

Today’s Agreements (chronologically, newest to oldest)

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