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Drew VerHagen

Cardinals Activate Adam Wainwright, Drew VerHagen

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TODAY: The Cardinals announced Wainwright’s activation, and righty Jake Woodford was optioned to Triple-A to create roster space.

MAY 14: The Cardinals announced that right-hander Drew VerHagen has been reinstated from the injured list, with lefty Packy Naughton being optioned in a corresponding move.

VerHagen was surprisingly the first player signed after the lockout ended in March, with the Cards inking him to a two-year deal with a $5.5MM guarantee. He had spent the previous two seasons in Japan and fared well enough to return to the big leagues. Unfortunately, after throwing just 4 2/3 innings over three appearances, he landed on the injured list due to a right hip impingement. Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat adds that VerHagen had his return delayed by a bout with COVID. VerHagen is capable of either starting or relieving and started in his two rehab appearances but threw only 1 2/3 innings and 2 innings in them, respectively.

Manager Oliver Marmol announced today that Adam Wainwright will come off the COVID IL and start Sunday’s game, as relayed by John Denton of MLB.com,  but his last start was May 4. Since he didn’t go on a rehab assignment, it’s possible he won’t have as much length as usual due to that layoff, making a multi-inning option like VerHagen a valuable safety net. The club has a vacancy on its 40-man roster and won’t need to make a corresponding move for Waino, though he will need a slot on the active roster.

As for Naughton, this is already his second time being optioned in recent weeks. As part of the new CBA that was implemented in March, players with options can no longer be sent to the minors with total abandon. Each player can only be optioned five times per season, whereas there was no limit at all under the prior CBA. Due to the shortened Spring Training caused by the lockout, MLB and the MLBPA agreed that options prior to May 2 wouldn’t count against this limit, helping teams navigate the unusual ramp up period. The southpaw came up to make a spot start to cover for Wainwright’s absence and can now only be recalled and optioned three more times on the year.

Cardinals Sign Drew VerHagen To Two-Year Deal

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The first Major League free-agent signing following the MLB lockout went to an unexpected player, as the Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve signed right-hander Drew VerHagen to a two-year contract. VerHagen, a client of ISE Baseball, spent the past two seasons pitching in Japan. He’ll reportedly be guaranteed a total of $5.5MM — $2.5MM in 2022 and $3MM in 2023. He can further boost his earnings via incentives.

While the 31-year-old VerHagen probably wasn’t predicted by many as the first post-lockout domino to fall, he’ll head back to the big leagues not only on a guaranteed contract but on a multi-year arrangement. The 6’6″ righty struggled for much of his six seasons with the Tigers, pitching to a 5.11 ERA over the life of 199 big league frames. His two-year stint overseas changed his fortunes, however, as VerHagen broke out as a key member of the Nippon-Ham Fighters’ bullpen.

In two seasons with the Fighters, VerHagen notched a 3.51 ERA in 2017 1/3 innings while punching out a quarter of his opponents against a strong 7.2% walk rate. He’s long had decent velocity (94 mph average) on his sinker and has a track record of inducing grounders at a high rate (53.9% in the Majors) — which fits in well with the Cardinals’ otherworldy infield defense.

Broadly speaking, the Cardinals have a track record in signing players out of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball and the Korea Baseball Organization — both in terms of former big leaguers making a return and established NPB/KBO stars making their first jump to MLB. The Cardinals’ 2017 signing of Miles Mikolas (two years, $15.5MM) proved one of the better return pickups in recent memory, and KBO lefty Kwang Hyun Kim spent the past two seasons as a key member of the St. Louis pitching staff after signing at two years and $8MM. VerHagen is the latest to follow that path on a big league deal, though the Cards’ January signing of righty Aaron Brooks to a minor league contract could eventually enter that fold.

VerHagen worked out of the rotation with the Fighters, and Cards president of baseball operations John Mozeliak suggested today he’ll compete for a starting job in St. Louis as well (Twitter link via Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat). That said, a bullpen spot seems easier to carve out, given the already crowded nature of the team’s starting staff. The Cardinals’ rotation includes Jack Flaherty, Adam Wainwright, Dakota Hudson, Mikolas and lefty Steven Matz, who inked a four-year, $44MM deal earlier in the offseason. The Cards also have prospects Matthew Liberatore and Zack Thompson working their way toward the Majors, plus depth options like Jake Woodford and Johan Oviedo.

The addition of VerHagen gives them a potential long relief and spot-start option, but he could also find his way into a late-inning role if he can maintain some of his overseas success. Giovanny Gallegos is the current favorite to close games for newly minted manager Oliver Marmol, and there’s plenty of talent throughout the rest of the bullpen mix. Alex Reyes and Jordan Hicks have both closed games in the past, while Genesis Cabrera and veteran T.J. McFarland give the Cards a pair of solid left-handed options. It’s quite possible the Cards will make further bullpen additions, as they’ve been connected to higher-profile relievers such as Joe Kelly and Ryan Tepera throughout the duration of the lockout.

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com first reported the agreement and the terms.

Nippon-Ham Fighters Re-Sign Drew VerHagen

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The Hokkaido Nippon-Ham Fighters have re-signed right-hander Drew VerHagen to a new contract, the team announced earlier this week.  The 30-year-old will return to Japan for a second season after a successful 2020 campaign.

A veteran of six MLB seasons, VerHagen posted a 5.11 ERA, 2.08 K/BB rate, 53.9% grounder rate, and 7.1 K/9 over 199 innings with the Tigers from 2014-19.  As you might expect for a groundball specialist, VerHagen’s performance tended to ebb and flow based on his BABIP, with his three highest single-season ERAs (in 2016, 2017, and 2019) coinciding with his three largest BABIP totals.

With his Major League career not making much progress, VerHagen signed with the Fighters last winter, saying that he was “excited” by the chance to work as a starting pitcher.  (He started only eight of his 127 games with Detroit.)  VerHagen took advantage of his new opportunity in 2020, posting a 3.22 ERA, 3.97 K/BB rate, and 9.3 K/9 over 111 2/3 innings for the Fighters.

Former MLB Players In NPB: Japan Pacific League

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Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball is targeting a June 19 Opening Day. As is the case with the Korea Baseball Organization, the league has plenty of recognizable names for MLB fans to follow as we await the return of baseball in North America. NPB is larger than the KBO (12 teams vs. 10) and has slightly lesser restrictions on foreign players. As such, we’ll split the “names to watch” rundown into two posts — one covering the Japan Pacific League and another still to come on the Japan Central League.

Teams have been ordered based on 2019 records:

Saitama Seibu Lions (80-62-1):

  • Daisuke Matsuzaka, RHP: You read that right. Dice-K is still chugging along. The now-39-year-old veteran pitched just 5 1/3 innings for the Chunichi Dragons last year due to a shoulder injury that, according to the Japan Times, was caused by an excited fan grabbing/yanking his arm (seriously). Matsuzaka was NPB’s comeback player of the year in 2018 and is returning to the Lions, his original club, for the first time since 2006.
  • Cory Spangenberg, INF/OF: Primarily an infielder during his big league career, Spangenberg is listed as an outfielder by the Lions. The former No. 10 overall pick (Padres, 2011) hit .256/.318/.389 in six MLB campaigns before signing with the Lions back in December. He’ll make his NPB debut once play begins.
  • Sean Nolin, LHP: Signed the same day as Spangenberg, the 30-year-old Nolin is also slated for his NPB debut. A once highly touted pitching prospect, he’s perhaps best known for being part of the Athletics’ disappointing return for Josh Donaldson. Nolin has a 6.89 ERA in 31 1/3 innings, a 3.61 mark in 231 2/3 Triple-A frames and a long injury history. Japan could be a fresh start for the lefty.
  • Zach Neal, RHP: The 31-year-old Neal has a 4.94 ERA in 85 2/3 big league frames — one as a Dodger and the rest with the A’s. He logged 100 innings with the Lions last year and turned in a shiny 2.87 ERA, which his camp hoped would lead to MLB interest. Neal’s 4.6 K/9 in NPB didn’t turn many head, though, and whatever offers he received from MLB teams didn’t top the two-year, $4MM deal he signed to return to the Lions. He’ll be in NPB through the 2021 season, at the least.
  • Reed Garrett, RHP: The longtime Rangers farmhand was the Tigers’ Rule 5 pick in the 2018-19 offseason. He tossed 15 1/3 shaky innings before being returned to the Texas org. The 27-year-old will hope to follow similar paths to those of Chris Martin, Joely Rodriguez and other relievers who’ve thrived overseas and returned to MLB on multi-year deals.

Fukuoka SoftBank Hawks (76-62-5):

  • Tsuyoshi Wada, LHP: Wada, 39, signed with the Orioles back in 2011 but never pitched there due to injury. He latched on with the Cubs for the 2014-15 seasons, though, and tossed 101 2/3 innings of 3.36 ERA ball before returning to Japan. He was excellent in his 2016 return but has battled injuries since. He logged a 3.90 ERA in 57 2/3 frames when healthy last year.
  • Matt Moore, LHP: Moore surprised quite a few people by signing in Japan this winter, but the $3.5MM guarantee and $2.5MM worth of incentives he secured may well have been more than a team would’ve paid him coming off a season lost to knee surgery. Heralded as a potential ace at his prospect peak, Moore impressed with the Rays from 2011-13 but never fully regained his form after 2014 Tommy John surgery.
  • Rick van den Hurk, RHP: Now 35 years old, Van Den Hurk hasn’t pitched in the Majors since 2012. That’s due largely to his emergence as a high-end starter in the KBO from 2012-13, and the success he enjoyed there led him to his current starring role with the Hawks. Over the past four years, the Dutch righty has a 3.50 ERA and nearly 10 strikeouts per nine innings through 483 frames.
  • Dennis Sarfate, RHP: It’s been more than a decade since Sarfate last pitched in the big leagues, but the righty hasn’t felt any inclination to return. He’s one of the all-time great relievers in NPB, having pitched to an immaculate 1.57 ERA with 234 saves, 11.9 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9 since arriving in 2011. Not bad for a former ninth-rounder with a 4.53 ERA in 119 MLB innings!
  • Wladimir Balentien, OF: Yes — the Hawks’ roster is a veritable who’s who of obscure, 2009-era big leaguers. Balentien last saw MLB action in ’09, and like Sarfate, he’s become a star in Asia. Balentien spent nine years mashing for the Yakult Swallows, as evidenced by a .273/.378/.558 slash and a whopping 288 home runs to date in NPB. The Hawks shelled out a two-year, $10MM deal — considerable money in Japan — to sign the 35-year-old.
  • Alfredo Despaigne, OF and Carter Stewart. RHP*: Neither player has ever appeared in MLB, but both are known names. Despaigne is one of the most prolific sluggers in the history of the Cuban National Series, and the 33-year-old has continued to rake in Japan. Stewart was a first-round pick who opted not to sign with the Braves in 2018 after concerns arose in his physical. He instead signed a six-year, $6.2MM deal to head to Japan. He spent last year in the Hawks’ developmental/minor league but could make his NPB debut in 2020.

Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles (71-68-4):

  • Kazuhisa Makita, RHP: The submariner’s two-year deal with the Padres didn’t pan out as hoped, and Makita is back in NPB for the 2020 season. He previously starred for the Lions, logging a 2.83 ERA in seven seasons of relief work, and could have another few good years in his NPB career at age 35.
  • JT Chargois, RHP: A second-round pick by the Twins in 2012, Chargois dealt with injuries and never solidified himself either in Minnesota or with the Dodgers. He’s been lights out in his minor league career (1.90 ERA in Triple-A) but hasn’t come close to that in the Majors (4.58 in 76 2/3 innings). The 29-year-old will make his NPB debut in 2020.
  • Alan Busenitz, RHP: Another former Twins reliever, Busenitz gave Minnesota 31 2/3 frames of 1.99 ERA ball as a rookie but posted some troubling peripheral marks. He indeed regressed the following season, when he was hammered for an ERA and FIP north of 7.00. Busenitz dominated for the Eagles last year, though, recording a 1.69 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9. He’s still only 29, so perhaps an eventual MLB return can’t be ruled out.
  • Zelous Wheeler, INF: Wheeler had a quick cup of coffee with the 2014 Yankees and left for Japan the next year. He’s hit .262/.339/.459 in five seasons with the Eagles. He’s coming off a bit of a down year, having batted .243/.320/.418 last year.
  • Jabari Blash, OF: Known for his light-tower power in the U.S., Blash never found his footing in the big leagues but looks like a potential star in Japan. He bashed 33 homers last year while hitting .261/.397/.540 in his NPB debut with the Eagles. He signed a one-year deal to return to them this past winter, but perhaps he’ll eventually consider an MLB return.
  • Stefen Romero, OF: The former Mariner, 31, hit a combined .268/.332/.494 with the Orix Buffaloes from 2017-19 before signing with the Eagles this offseason. If he continues to produce in NPB, there’s a chance that Romero, like Blash, could stage a big league comeback.

Chiba Lotte Marines (69-70-4):

  • Leonys Martin, OF: Among the most recognizable players on this list, the 32-year-old Martin hit .244/.301/.367 in nearly 2800 plate appearances spread across five teams. He joined NPB midway through the 2019 season, hitting .232/.342/.495 for the Marines. He re-upped in December and will spend his first full season in Japan this year.
  • Frank Herrmann, RHP: A former Indians and Phillies hurler, the soon-to-be 36-year-old Herrmann has spent three seasons with the Eagles. He’s emerged as a key member of the bullpen, notching a tidy 2.59 ERA with better than a strikeout per inning in 145 2/3 frames. Herrmann also picked up 18 saves in 2018.
  • Jay Jackson, RHP: Jackson, 32, starred for the Hiroshima Carp from 2016-18 before making a big league comeback with the Brewers in 2019. He tossed 30 2/3 frames and logged a 4.45 ERA with the Brewers last year, but is on his way back to NPB — presumably for a solid payday given his prior excellence there (176 innings, 2.10 ERA, 9.8 K/9, 3.5 BB/9).
  • Brandon Laird, INF: Laird, 32, made the jump to Japan in 2015 and hasn’t looked back. His on-base numbers aren’t much to look at, but he’s a consistent power threat who spent four years with the Fighters and is entering his second with the Marines. In 2781 plate appearances in NPB, Laird has batted .241/.314/.480 with 163 long balls.

Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters (65-73-5):

  • Nick Martinez, RHP: Things never really clicked for Martinez in four years with the Rangers’ big league club. He turned in a 3.51 ERA in 161 2/3 frames with the Fighters in his NPB debut in 2018, though, and returned on a $2.2MM deal for 2019. Injuries limited him to four innings last year, and the 29-year-old Martinez will again suit up for the Fighters on a one-year pact in 2020.
  • Drew VerHagen, RHP: The big 6’6″ righty spent parts of six seasons with the Tigers and was with Detroit up through last season. VerHagen, 29, has a 5.11 ERA in 199 MLB innings but will look for better results overseas.
  • Christian Villanueva, INF: Last year’s debut campaign didn’t go as Villanueva or his team, the Yomiuri Giants, hoped. The 28-year-old former Cubs prospect hit just .223/.325/.386 in 73 games. The league still had some faith, though, as Villanueva signed a new deal with the Fighters this winter. He does have a career .263/.328/.457 slash in Triple-A, so perhaps a second go-around in NPB will be more fruitful.
  • Bryan Rodriguez, RHP and Po-Jung Wang, OF*: Neither has played in the Majors, but Rodriguez came into his own in Japan last year. The former Padres prospect posted a 3.25 ERA in 91 innings of relief — albeit with a lackluster 5.4 K/9 mark. Wang, meanwhile, was one of the best hitters in Tawain’s CPBL before inking a three-year, $3.554MM deal with the Fighters last year. The first year was a flop (.647 OPS), but if the 26-year-old can tap into his CPBL form (.386/.455/.646), he might be a name for MLB clubs to monitor.

Orix Buffaloes (61-75-7):

  • Adam Jones, OF: Jones shocked baseball fans when he took a two-year, $8MM deal to join the Buffaloes last December. The 34-year-old is easily the most decorated big leaguer on this list, but he found last year’s trip through free agency rather disappointing, landing only a one-year, $3MM deal with the D-backs. Perhaps not wanting to languish for another season as MLB clubs viewed him as a part-time player, Jones took a nice payday overseas and will bring some legitimate star power to the last-place Buffaloes.
  • Andrew Albers, LHP: Albers, 34, had a solid big league run from 2013-17, posting a 4.10 ERA in 120 MLB frames. He was outstanding with Orix in 2018 (3.08 ERA in 114 innings), which he parlayed into a two-year, $4.5MM extension. Year one of that deal didn’t go well (5.83 ERA in 63 innings), but he’ll look to bounce back in year two.
  • Brandon Dickson, RHP: Dickson pitched 14 2/3 innings with the 2011-12 Cardinals but left  for the Buffaloes in 2013. He’s become a staple on the pitching staff, logging a combined 3.32 ERA through 856 2/3 innings as a Buffalo.
  • Steven Moya, OF: Once one of the Tigers’ best prospects, Moya had a nice debut with the Chunichi Dragons in 2018 (.301/.347/.441) but struggled with both the Dragons and the Buffaloes in 2019. Still just 28 years old, he’ll hope to bounce back in his third season overseas.

Drew VerHagen To Sign With Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters

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Tigers right-hander Drew VerHagen will sign a one-year deal with the Hokkaido Nippon Ham Fighters, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News reports (Twitter links). Detroit has formally requested release waivers on VerHagen in order to facilitate the move, per a club announcement. The move drops the Tigers’ 40-man roster to a total of 39 players.

“It sounds like they are going to give me a great opportunity to start,” VerHagen tells McCosky (Twitter link). “I just felt like this is something cool and different and it will big financially, as well. I’m excited.”

VerHagen, 29, has spent his entire career in the Tigers’ organization. Originally drafted in the fourth round back in 2012, the 6’6″ righty has made a handful of starts with the Tigers since debuting in 2014 but has worked primarily out of the bullpen. VerHagen’s 5.11 ERA in 199 Major League innings doesn’t exactly stand out, but he’s notched a hearty 53.9 percent ground-ball rate at the game’s top level. Metrics like FIP (4.76), xFIP (4.50) and SIERA (4.29) all feel he’s been a fair sight better than his baseline ERA, which is perhaps unsurprising given that he’s played in front of some lackluster defenses as the Tigers have worked through their current rebuilding phase.

VerHagen’s time at the Triple-A level has gone much better. He’s appeared in parts of six seasons there, compiling a 3.97 earned run average with 7.2 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 in 321 2/3 innings. He wouldn’t be the first pitcher to reinvent himself in Japan before returning to MLB in his early or mid 30s, so his results in NPB will at least be worth keeping an eye on next season.

 

Tigers Select Drew VerHagen

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The Tigers announced that they’ve optioned lefty Daniel Stumpf to Triple-A Toledo following today’s game and will select the contract of righty Drew VerHagen to start tomorrow’s contest. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, Detroit transferred catcher Grayson Greiner to the 60-day injured list.

VerHagen is no stranger to the Tigers. The 28-year-old was their fourth-round selection back in 2012 and spent the 2014-16 seasons being optioned back and forth between Toledo and Detroit as a depth piece. He’s been designated for assignment twice in the past couple of years but remained with the club after clearing waivers on each instance. He’ll now rejoin the club for the first time since last being outrighted in early May.

Earlier this season, VerHagen was clobbered for 10 runs in just six innings of work, but he’s posted much better results in his return to Triple-A. Through 53 frames with the Mud Hens, he’s worked to a 4.42 ERA with 8.7 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 0.85 HR/9 and a 40.4 percent ground-ball rate. His return to the Tigers could be short-lived, as Detroit’s rotation and bullpen are both in constant states of flux this season while their rebuild trudges on. Then again, with the Tigers likely to deal at least one arm (Shane Greene) and possibly some others (Matthew Boyd, Joe Jimenez, Buck Farmer) in the next week, it’s possible that there’s room for VerHagen to stick around beyond tomorrow’s spot start.

Latest On Tigers’ Rotation

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MAY 17: Ross is dealing with ulnar neuritis and won’t throw for at least another seven to 10 days, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets.

MAY 15: The Tigers have already been hit hard by pitching injuries this season, and it doesn’t appear as if Jordan Zimmermann or Tyson Ross will be returning from the IL in the near future.  Zimmermann was sidelined with an UCL sprain on April 26, and he is still experiencing discomfort in his elbow when throwing from flat ground, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports on Twitter.  Given that Zimmermann hasn’t pitched in nearly three weeks and hasn’t yet begun ramping up in earnest, it seems reasonable to anticipate that he won’t be ready to return to the Tigers’ staff for at least another few weeks, assuming that all goes smoothly here on out.

As for Ross, the outlook is perhaps even more ominous.  Tigers manager Ron Gardenhire told Woodbery (Twitter link) and other reporters that Ross has scheduled two separate visits with different doctors, as the right-hander tries to figure out the cause of the nerve problem in his throwing elbow.  Ross has a substantial injury history that includes thoracic outlet syndrome surgery, and one of his two medical visits is with the same doctor who performed his TOS surgery back in 2016.

Between Zimmermann, Ross, and season-ending injuries to both Michael Fulmer and Matt Moore, the Tigers are trying to make do without four-fifths of their intended starting rotation.  One internal option is Drew VerHagen, as Gardenhire told media (including Anthony Fenech of the Detroit Free Press) that VerHagen will be stretched out as a starter at Triple-A.  This isn’t the first time that VerHagen has been tried as a starter, as he made three starts for Detroit in 2017-18, though the large majority of VerHagen’s MLB experience (111 of 115 career games) has been as a reliever.

VerHagen is back at Triple-A Toledo after being outrighted off Detroit’s 40-man roster over the weekend, and the 28-year-old has now been outrighted in consecutive seasons.  While obviously VerHagen is far from the Tigers’ ideal option for a starter, the team has been forced to leave no stone unturned as it deals with its plague of rotation injuries.  It’s worth noting that VerHagen does have some decent career numbers at Triple-A, though his grounder-heavy arsenal and lack of missed bats (6.9 K/9 in his career) hasn’t translated well to the big leagues, as his 5.20 career ERA would attest.

If you’re wondering whether or not star prospect Casey Mize could be an answer to the Tigers’ pitching problems, seemingly nothing has changed from earlier this month, when Gardenhire said that such highly-touted Double-A arms as Mize, Alex Faedo, and Matt Manning weren’t going to be called up.  As dire as the injury situation may be, it’s clear that the Tigers aren’t prepared to alter their developmental plans for the sake of covering some innings in a rebuilding year.  At least from a long-term perspective, there’s a lot to be excited about with Tigers pitching — MLB.com’s most recent top 100 prospects list ranks Mize as the top pitching prospect in baseball, and the #6 prospect overall.  Mize’s ranking will only improve throughout the year, as four of the names ahead of him (Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Fernando Tatis Jr., Eloy Jimenez, and Nick Senzel) have already reached the majors and will soon lose their prospect status.

In other Tigers prospect news, it has been announced that right-hander Franklin Perez is set to make his season debut for Detroit’s high A-ball affiliate in Lakeland.  A shoulder strain has kept Perez from pitching in 2019.  Originally acquired from the Astros as part of the Justin Verlander trade, the 21-year-old Perez is another well-regarded building block, ranking 71st on MLB.com’s latest prospect list.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/12/19

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Keeping up with this weekend’s minor moves…

Latest transactions:

  • The Pirates outrighted left-hander Tyler Lyons to Triple-A Indianapolis, as per MLB.com’s official transactions page.  Lyons cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  This is the second time in as many seasons that Lyons has been outrighted, as he was also removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster last August in the midst of an injury-plagued year that saw Lyons post an 8.64 ERA over 16 2/3 frames for St. Louis.  After signing a minors deal with Pittsburgh over the winter, Lyons didn’t turn things around in a brief stint for the Bucs, with an 11.25 ERA over four Major League innings.  The southpaw did perform better in Triple-A, however, and will head back to the farm to try and recapture the form that made him a solid-to-very good bullpen piece for the Cardinals from 2013-17.

Earlier today:

  • The Tigers outrighted right-hander Drew VerHagen to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday after he cleared waivers, per a team announcement. Because VerHagen has been outrighted in the past, he could have declined the assignment. He chose to accept it, however, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. Detroit kicked VerHagen off its 40-man roster again last weekend when it designated him for assignment after a calamitous performance versus Kansas City. The Royals pounded VerHagen for six earned runs on five hits and three walks in one inning, contributing to the 28-year-old’s hefty 15.00 ERA across six frames this season. VerHagen entered the year with a sub-5.00 ERA/FIP across 141 major league innings, though, and has been a useful arm at the Triple-A level.
  • The Diamondbacks have released infielder Kelby Tomlinson from his minor-league deal, reports MLBTR’s own Steve Adams. After signing with the D-Backs last offseason, Tomlinson has posted just a .596 OPS at the Triple-A level in 2019, failing to crack the big league roster, which would have earned him a $850K salary. In a Major League career spanning parts of four seasons, the 29-year-old owns a career .265/.331/.332 slash line to go with 19 stolen bases. Though the numbers are not especially impressive, Tomlinson is capable of handling three infield positions and played sparingly in left field with the Giants.

Tigers Designate Drew VerHagen For Assignment

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SUNDAY: Detroit has recalled righty Eduardo Jimenez from Toledo to replace VerHagen on its 25-man roster.

SATURDAY: The Tigers have designated right-hander Drew VerHagen for assignment, Jason Beck of MLB.com was among those to report. Detroit has since announced the move, adding that it will make a corresponding transaction Sunday.

The 28-year-old VerHagen has spent his entire pro career with the Tigers, who selected him in the fourth round of the 2012 draft. But VerHagen’s Tigers tenure may have ended Saturday in a 15-3 humiliation against Kansas City, which throttled him for six earned runs on five hits and three walks in just an inning of work. Even before that disastrous outing, VerHagen began the season in rough fashion. He has now allowed 10 ER on 10 hits and 10 walks, with seven strikeouts, in six frames.

Although VerHagen throws fairly hard and has induced groundballs at a 54.2 percent clip in 146 major league innings, he entered Saturday with an unimpressive 4.87 ERA/4.80 FIP and 6.9 K/9 against 3.64 BB/9 as a Tiger. While VerHagen has almost exclusively pitched as a reliever in Detroit, he has worked mostly as a starter with its Triple-A affiliate in Toledo. VerHagen has been solid in 64 appearances and 44 starts there, having pitched to a 3.89 ERA with familiar strikeout and walk rates (6.9 K/9, 3.0 BB/9) across 268 2/3 frames.

Tigers Place Matt Moore On 10-Day IL

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SUNDAY: Moore may need surgery, Chris McCosky of the Detroit News tweets. For now, the team has activated right-hander Drew VerHagen from the IL to take Moore’s roster spot.

SATURDAY: Per a team release, the Tigers will place lefty Matt Moore on the 10-day IL after the lefty sprained his right knee in the middle of today’s outing against the Royals. A corresponding roster move will come tomorrow, per the team.

Moore, 29, signed a one-year, $2.5MM deal with Detroit in the offseason after successive brutal campaigns with the Giants and Rangers. The former #1 overall prospect in the league – whom Baseball Prospectus famously ranked over Mike Trout and Bryce Harper on their 2012 list – hasn’t much been the same after a 2014 Tommy John surgery. His velocity, which ranged in the 95-96 MPH area in his first two seasons, quickly fell to around 92, and the lefty’s never possessed the requisite command and/or secondary offerings to make up for it.

Still, he’d looked sharp in first two early-season outings before the knee sprain today, so it’s a tough blow for the Tiger reclamation project. Per manager Ron Gardenhire, lefty Daniel Norris will assume Moore’s rotation spot in the interim.

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