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Darien Nunez

Giants Outright Jason Krizan, Activate Mike Yastrzemski

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The Giants informed reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that outfielder Jason Krizan has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Sacramento. The Giants also activated Mike Yastrzemski from the COVID-19 injured list. San Francisco’s 40-man roster now sits at 39, although they still have three players on the COVID IL who don’t currently count against that tally.

Krizan was selected last week when the Giants lost both Brandon Belt and Dominic Leone to the COVID list. While it came under unfortunate circumstances, it marked a heart-warming culmination of a long journey for the lefty-hitting outfielder. Krizan has played in parts of 11 minor league seasons, and his perseverance was rewarded with an MLB debut a bit shy of his 33rd birthday.

Unsurprisingly, Krizan’s stay on the major league roster proved brief this time around. He appeared in three games and collected his first hit (a single off the Nationals’ Josiah Gray) in eight at-bats. He’ll rejoin the River Cats, where he’s hitting .224/.350/.347 in 60 plate appearances this year, and try to work his way back to the majors.

San Francisco also announced they’ve signed left-hander Darien Núñez to a minor league contract (via Slusser). The Giants claimed Núñez off release waivers from the Dodgers last week. He had just undergone Tommy John surgery and won’t return until some point in 2023. The Giants quickly released him themselves but brought him back on a deal that won’t require dedicating him a 40-man roster spot or paying him a major league salary while he rehabs. Núñez appeared in six major league games with L.A. last season.

Yastrzemski got off to a decent start before landing on the shelf, hitting .267/.340/.356 through his first 50 plate appearances. He’ll slot right back into the lineup, starting in right field and hitting sixth tonight against Dodger starter Tony Gonsolin.

Giants Place Brandon Belt, Dominic Leone On Injured List

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The Giants announced a series of roster moves before tonight’s matchup with the Nationals. First baseman Brandon Belt and reliever Dominic Leone have each tested positive for COVID-19 and were placed on the injured list. Outfielders Jason Krizan and Ka’ai Tom and reliever Mauricio Llovera have each been selected onto the major league roster. Additionally, San Francisco released recently-claimed southpaw Darien Núñez.

Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). Belt and Leone join outfielder Mike Yastrzemski and reliever Zack Littell on the Giants’ COVID list.

San Francisco is down two notable pieces to both the lineup and the bullpen. Belt, one of the game’s best hitters from 2020-21, has again gotten off to an excellent start. The 34-year-old is hitting .242/.367/.470 with four homers through 79 plate appearances. Leone, meanwhile, has fired seven innings of three-run ball with eight strikeouts and one walk through the season’s first few weeks.

The Giants didn’t specify whether the three players selected today are designated COVID “substitutes,” although it seems likely that’ll be the case. This season, the commissioner’s office has sole discretion to determine whether a team’s “ability to field a competitive team” has been sufficiently impacted by the virus to warrant temporary replacements. In that event, those “substitute” players could be removed from the 40-man roster and returned to the minor leagues without having to clear waivers as the team gets back to health. Given that the Giants have lost four players to positive tests in fairly rapid succession, it seems likely the league would afford them that luxury.

While it may not be under ideal circumstances, it’s no doubt a rewarding day for Krizan. Selected by the Tigers out of Dallas Baptist in 2011, the left-handed hitting corner outfielder has spent 11 years in the minor leagues. That includes parts of seven seasons at Triple-A, where Krizan has a career .276/.347/.412 line in more than 400 games. He had an impressive .316/.367/.492 showing with the Giants’ top affiliate in Sacramento last year. Krizan hasn’t gotten off to a great start with the River Cats this season, but his established track record in the minors earns him his first big league call a couple months shy of his 33rd birthday.

Tom and Llovera both joined the organization on minor league deals. The former is a left-handed hitter who tallied his first 133 MLB plate appearances as a Rule 5 pick of the Pirates last year. Tom struggled to a .139/.278/.231 line and was eventually let go by Pittsburgh, but he’s generally been an excellent offensive player in the minors. He’s off to a .327/.387/.509 start at Sacramento.

Llovera pitched in seven big league games with the Phillies between 2020-21. He allowed 11 runs in just 7 2/3 innings, although he did average north of 94 MPH on his fastball. The 26-year-old is off to an excellent start with his new organization, having tossed 10 2/3 scoreless innings in Triple-A. Llovera has fanned 14 batters while issuing just a pair of walks.

The Giants’ decision to release Núñez comes as a surprise. San Francisco just grabbed him off waivers from the Dodgers on Wednesday. Núñez had recently undergone Tommy John surgery, and it seemed as if the Giants were content to stash him on the 60-day injured list while he recovered in hopes of hanging onto his long-term contractual rights.

For whatever reason, San Francisco has decided to go in a different direction. Injured players can’t be outrighted, so San Francisco had to release Núñez to take him off the 40-man roster if they weren’t going to keep him on the IL. If he passes through release waivers unclaimed, he’ll be a free agent.

Giants Claim Darien Nunez From Dodgers

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The Giants announced to various reporters, including Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle, that they have claimed left-hander Darien Nunez off waivers from the Dodgers. (Reporter Francys Romero relayed the Giants-Nunez connection earlier today.) The Giants don’t need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move at the moment, as a couple of players have recently hit the Covid-related injured list and won’t take up roster spots until reinstated.

It was reported a few days ago that the 29-year-old would require Tommy John surgery, thus keeping him out of action for the remainder of this season and at least part of next year as well. The next day, he was designated for assignment by the Dodgers in order to open up a roster spot for Reyes Moronta. Nunez was in the minors at the time of his injury, meaning that the Dodgers could have merely placed him on the minor league injured list. However, in that scenario, he would continue to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. They also had the option of placing Nunez on the major league 60-day injured list. Doing so would have opened up a roster spot, but also would have meant Nunez would earn an MLB salary and service time over the remainder of the year. In the end, they opted merely to cut him loose. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, meaning Nunez was on release waivers, before being claimed.

For the Giants, this is situation has many parallels with their acquisition of outfielder Luis Gonzalez. Last year, Gonzalez was injured while in the minor leagues with the White Sox. The Sox opted to designate him for assignment and place him on waivers. The Giants put in a claim and placed him on their major league injured list, thus earning him MLB pay and service time. The club non-tendered him after the season but were able to re-sign him on a minor league deal, with Gonzalez presumably appreciating the treatment he received from the team. He recently had his contract selected and has been playing well in his first few games as a Giant.

With Nunez, the Giants announced that he has been optioned to Triple-A for now. However, it seems likely that, whenever they need to open up a spot on the 40-man roster, they will move Nunez to the 60-day IL. He currently has 30 days of MLB service time, a number that will start climb once he’s on the 60-day IL.

An amateur signing out of Cuba in 2018, Nunez worked his way up the ranks and made his MLB debut last year, throwing 7 2/3 innings with an 8.22 ERA. In Triple-A, however, his ERA was a much nicer 2.42 over 52 innings, along with a 39.8% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. The Giants will surely be hoping that he can get back to that kind of production once he recovers from the surgery, and then carry it from the minors into the majors.

Dodgers Select Reyes Moronta, Designate Darien Nunez, Place David Price On COVID-IL

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6:36PM: Price tested positive for COVID-19, manager Dave Roberts told reporters (including Jack Harris of the Los Angeles Times).  Price is showing symptoms but is vaccinated, and Roberts doesn’t expect anyone else on the team to hit the COVID-IL due to infection or close-contact situations.

3:05PM: McKinstry has now been quickly recalled from his Triple-A assignment since David Price has been placed on the injured list. No specific reason was given for Price’s placement.

2:43PM: The Dodgers made a few roster moves prior to today’s game, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Right-handed pitcher Reyes Moronta had his contract selected. To make room on the active roster, utility player Zach McKinstry was optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City. To clear a spot for Moronta on the 40-man roster, left-hander Darien Nunez was designated for assignment.

Moronta seemed to emerge as an elite bullpen weapon for the Giants in 2018 and ’19. Over those two seasons, the righty threw 121 2/3 innings with a 2.66 ERA. His 13.8% walk rate was certainly concerning, but he paired that with a 29.3% strikeout rate. Unfortunately, shoulder surgery caused him to miss the entirety of the shortened 2020 campaign. Last year, a flexor strain limited him to four innings in the majors and 18 innings in Triple-A.

The Giants outrighted him at the end of the season, with Moronta electing free agency. He signed a minors deal with the Dodgers that would guarantee him $1.5MM if he cracked the roster. With his selection today, the 29-year-old has now secured himself that salary. As of today, Moronta has exactly four years of MLB service time, as well as still being able to be optioned to the minors. If he can hold onto his 40-man roster spot through the remainder of the season, the Dodgers could opt to keep him around via arbitration. In six Triple-A innings so far this year, he has an ERA of 1.50, with 10 strikeouts but 4 walks.

As for Nunez, it was announced yesterday that he will need to undergo Tommy John surgery. Nunez was in the minors at the time, meaning that the Dodgers could have merely placed him on the minor league injured list. However, in that scenario, he would continue to occupy a spot on the 40-man roster. The club also had the option of placing Nunez on the major league injured list. Doing so would have opened up a roster spot, but also would have meant Nunez would earn an MLB salary and service time over the remainder of the year.

The Dodgers have instead decided to designate him for assignment. Injured players cannot be placed on outright waivers, meaning Nunez will have to be placed on release waivers. A team could theoretically claim him if they were willing to give him the service time and MLB pay that the Dodgers opted against. A similar situation occurred last year when the White Sox designated Luis Gonzalez for assignment, who was claimed by the Giants, with the latter club placing him on the MLB injured list. However, that situation happened in mid-August with just about six weeks remaining in the season. Since Nunez is undergoing Tommy John surgery, he won’t be back for at least a year and probably longer, which likely reduces the chances of him following in Gonzalez’s footsteps.

Dodgers’ Darien Nunez To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Dodgers left-hander Darien Nunez will undergo Tommy John surgery this week, according to reporter Francys Romero (Twitter link).  Given the usual recovery timeline for TJ surgery, the 29-year-old Nunez will be sidelined until at least May or June 2023.  Nunez is on Los Angeles’ 40-man roster, so his inevitable placement on the 60-day injured list will give the Dodgers another 40-man spot to work with for future moves

Nunez was an amateur signing out of Cuba in 2018, as the southpaw followed five seasons in the Cuban National Series with a couple of years away from the game, as he was trying to secure his release from the CNS and his eligibility for playing in the majors.  Over 126 1/3 innings in the Dodgers’ farm system, Nunez has a huge 39.57% strikeout rate and a 2.49 ERA, though his 9.45% walk rate is slightly on the high side.

This production resulted in Nunez getting a call to the big leagues last season, though he posted only an 8.22 ERA over 7 2/3 innings of work.  Still, between Nunez’s ability to miss bats and toss multiple innings, he was seen as an interesting bullpen depth option for the Dodgers down on the farm, though now his career will be put on hold for the next 13-15 months.

Dodgers Activate Mookie Betts, Option Gavin Lux, Matt Beaty

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The Dodgers activated Mookie Betts from the injured list and recalled Darien Nunez. In terms of the corresponding moves, Gavin Lux and Matt Beaty were optioned to Triple-A, per The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya (via Twitter).

These moves are at least in part due to yesterday’s marathon 16-inning game (though Betts, of course, would return no matter the circumstances). Nunez can provide a fresh arm to a busy bullpen. The southpaw has logged 7 1/3 innings with the Dodgers over six outings while being tagged for three home runs and eight runs total (seven earned). He’s been solid in the minors, however, with a 2.29 ERA in 39 1/3 innings.

More curious here are the demotions of Lux and Beaty. With the acquisition of Trea Turner, there simply aren’t many at-bats left for Lux and Beaty – not with Justin Turner, Corey Seager, Chris Taylor, and Max Muncy all expecting regular playing time as well. Both Lux and Beaty will benefit from consistent playing time in Triple-A. After all, Lux has had just one plate appearance in the past week; Beaty has been used regularly as a pinch-hitter, but he’s started just two games in August.

Dodgers Select Kevin Quackenbush, Place Darien Nunez On Injured List

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The Dodgers have placed left-hander Darien Nunez on the injured list, the team announced.  Right-hander Kevin Quackenbush’s contract has been selected from Triple-A, and the reliever will now take Nunez’s spot on the active roster.

Quackenbush signed a minor league deal in May and has looked quite impressive at Triple-A Oklahoma City, recording an 0.61 ERA and 27.5% strikeout rate over 29 1/3 relief innings.  Quackenbush also pitched for Oklahoma City in 2019 on a previous minors contract with L.A., though he was let go after the season, and a subsequent minor league deal with the Nationals in 2020 didn’t lead anywhere.

The 32-year-old Quackenbush will now get an opportunity with the World Series champions after not pitching in the majors since 2018.  Quackenbush posted a 4.38 ERA over 207 2/3 innings with the Padres and Reds from 2014-18, breaking into the big leagues with three years of solid work in San Diego’s bullpen before running into some major struggles in 2017.

Nunez only made his MLB debut this season, appearing in five games with Los Angeles and posting a 6.14 ERA over his first 7 1/3 innings in the Show.  The Cuban southpaw signed with the Dodgers in 2018 and delivered some big numbers in the minors, with a 2.34 ERA and 39.76% strikeout rate over 104 innings as a relief pitcher.

Dodgers Recall Brusdar Graterol, Place Max Muncy On Paternity Leave

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The Dodgers made a number of expected roster moves this evening, namely placing Max Muncy on paternity leave and recalling right-hander Brusdar Graterol to take his roster spot, per Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times (via Twitter).

Muncy shouldn’t be away for overlong, which is a good thing given the monster season he’s having thus far. The All-Star has posted 4.7 rWAR with a triple slash line of .273/.413/.565 over 351 plate appearances. He continues to be, if not the most recognizable Dodger star, one of their most efficient performers.

As for Graterol, things have not gone as smoothly since joining the Dodgers as part of the Mookie Betts’ deal. He was reportedly out of shape upon arriving to spring training, and he has yet to contribute much in the way of positive value this season. Still, with the Dodgers looking outside the organization for bullpen help, the 22-year-old former top prospect might represent the best hope for internal improvement.

Otherwise, southpaw Darien Nunez was also recalled, while Garrett Cleavinger was optioned to Triple-A. Nunez has been solid in Triple-A, posting a 2.70 ERA through 16 appearances covering 30 innings. He has four outings with the big-league club, tossing six innings and giving up four earned runs on five hits, including two long balls.

Cleavinger, meanwhile, has been a big part of manager Dave Roberts’ bullpen. The 27-year-old swingman has made 20 appearances (including one start) and tossed 17 innings with an impressive 2.12 ERA. He hasn’t been used that much of late, however, with just one total inning dating back to July 11th. Heading back to Triple-A for a spell should give him the opportunity to get some work in.

Dodgers Select Darien Nunez

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The Dodgers announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of lefty Darien Nunez and optioned right-hander Mitch White to Triple-A Oklahoma City. Their 40-man roster is now full.

Nunez, 28, signed with the Dodgers out of Cuba back in 2018 and has consistently posted solid numbers out of the bullpen as he’s risen through their system. He’s gotten his first experience at both the Double-A and Triple-A levels in 2021, pitching to a combined 2.70 ERA with a 35.3 percent strikeout rate and a 12.6 percent walk rate in 30 innings. Obviously, the Dodgers will hope his control of the strike zone improves — he’s also hit a batter and tossed three wild pitches — but it’s a generally encouraging showing for the lefty.

Nunez has never ranked among the Dodgers’ best prospect, perhaps in part due to his age, but he’ll nevertheless get his first look at the MLB level. Since he’s only just been selected, he’ll be optionable for all of this year and each of the two subsequent seasons, which could make him an up-and-down bit of depth while he looks to establish himself. The Dodgers frequently turn over the edges of their pitching staff — as White, who has now been optioned five times in 2021 aloone, can attest. Nunez will now be part of that churn for the foreseeable future, and he’ll give manager Dave Roberts a third lefty alongside David Price and Garrett Cleavinger while Victor Gonzalez is on the injured list due to plantar fasciitis.

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