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Greg Allen

Yankees Place Ryan Weber, Greg Allen On Injured List

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The Yankees placed two players on the injured list, with right-hander Ryan Weber heading to the 15-day IL due to a right forearm strain, and outfielder Greg Allen going to the 10-day IL due to a right hip flexor strain.  Utility man Oswaldo Cabrera and left-hander Nick Ramirez were called up from Triple-A to fill the spots on the active roster.

Weber told the New York Post’s Greg Joyce that he other reporters that he felt soreness last night during his two innings of work in the Yankees’ 8-4 loss to the Dodgers.  An MRI will reveal what exactly could be wrong with Weber’s forearm and elbow area, and he and the Yankees can only hope that the worst-case scenario of a Tommy John surgery isn’t the outcome.

Now in his ninth MLB season, Weber has spent the last two seasons in the Bronx on minor league deals.  The 2022 season saw Weber constantly sent up and down to Triple-A in a flurry of DFAs and outrights, though 2023 has at least seen a bit more stability, as the Yankees didn’t select him to the big league roster until May 11, and Weber has remained on the 26-man until today.

Though Weber has tossed only 25 MLB innings between all of his moves on and off the roster, he has performed well when wearing the pinstripes, delivering a 2.16 ERA over those 25 relief frames.  Never a big strikeout pitcher, Weber has only a 10.3% K% as a Yankee, but also a 51.8% grounder rate and a tiny 2.1% walk rate.  While a small sample size, it does represent a nice big step up from Weber’s 5.28 ERA over 167 innings in his first seven seasons, and why Weber has continued to get looks from the Yankees despite the lack of missed bats.

Allen previously played for the Yankees in 2021, and he only made his return two weeks ago after a trade from the Red Sox.  Allen’s encore in the Bronx has thus far seen him hit .214/.313/.571 over 17 plate appearances, as his three hits have included a home run and a triple.

It’s a nice start for a player acquired as outfield depth, but with Allen now on the IL, the Yankees will again turn to Cabrera to help out in their troubled left field position.  While Aaron Judge is having his typically excellent season and Harrison Bader has been very good when healthy, left field has been a revolving door for New York, with seven different players already seeing at least some time in left this season.  With Bader now on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, the Yankees’ outfield depth is further tested.

Yankees Acquire Greg Allen From Red Sox

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8:28pm: New York officially announced the acquisition of Allen in exchange for minor league right-hander Diego Hernandez and cash. Hernandez, an 18-year-old native of Mexico, signed with New York as an undrafted free agent last year. He spent 2022 in the Dominican Summer League, starting five of 12 games.

7:17pm: The Yankees are acquiring outfielder Greg Allen from the Red Sox, reports Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (Twitter link). Allen had been in the Boston organization on a minor league contract. Abraham adds the trade was due to an upward mobility clause in Allen’s deal which required the Red Sox to either promote him or trade him if another club offered an immediate big league roster spot.

While neither team has yet announced the trade, that suggests Allen is likely to step onto New York’s MLB roster in the next couple days. The Yankees will have to create a spot on the 40-man roster, though that can be done by transferring Carlos Rodón to the 60-day injured list. IL transfers are backdated to the time of the original placement (in Rodón’s case, Opening Day) and there’s no chance he’ll be ready for MLB action by next week.

Once official, it’ll be Allen’s second stint as a Yankee. The switch-hitting outfielder appeared in 15 games for New York two years ago. He played well, hitting .270/.417/.432 over 48 trips to the plate. Allen’s modest pre-2021 track record led the Yankees to place him on waivers despite that small-sample production. The Pirates claimed him and kept him on the roster for the majority of last season, but he slumped to a .186/.260/.271 line with a 31.3% strikeout rate in 134 trips to the plate. That brought his career slash to .232/.299/.336 in exactly 800 plate appearances over four teams.

Pittsburgh ran Allen through waivers at the end of the year. He caught on with the Red Sox on an offseason minor league pact and has impressed over 37 games for their Triple-A affiliate in Worcester. He’s hitting .250/.407/.388 in 151 trips to the plate. Allen has walked at a robust 13.9% clip and kept his strikeouts to a far more manageable 19.2% rate than he had in the majors last season. He’s also gone a staggering 23-23 in stolen base attempts. No other minor league player has run more often without yet being thrown out.

Allen has always had plus speed and strong basestealing instincts. He’s 45-53 in that regard in his major league career, an excellent 84.9% success rate. The introduction of more favorable rules for baserunners (larger bases, a pitch clock and pickoff limitations) should only make things easier for him in that regard. Allen’s athleticism hasn’t translated into universally strong defensive grades, however. Public metrics have pegged him as an above-average corner outfielder but given him mixed reviews over his 966 major league innings in center field.

The 30-year-old is out of minor league option years. Assuming the Yankees add him to the MLB roster, they’ll have to keep him in the majors or designate him for assignment. He’ll add another veteran depth outfielder behind Aaron Judge and Harrison Bader. New York has tried a number of different players in left field, giving the bulk of that time to Oswaldo Cabrera and Aaron Hicks. None of Cabrera, Hicks, Willie Calhoun nor Isiah Kiner-Falefa has contributed much offensively. Cabrera is the only member of that group who still has remaining minor league options.

Red Sox Notes: Alfaro, Goodrum, Tapia, Allen

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Catcher Jorge Alfaro is in camp with the Red Sox on a minor league deal and it was reported about three weeks ago that he has an upward mobility clause in his contract. Today, Chris Cotillo of MassLive has the details on how that will play out.

If Alfaro is not added to the club’s 40-man roster today, he can request that the Sox email the other 29 clubs, which they must do within 24 hours. Those other clubs will then have 24 hours to express their interest in giving Alfaro a spot on their own respective rosters. If one or multiple clubs are willing to give Alfaro a spot, Boston has 72 hours to decide whether or not to add Alfaro to their roster or let him join one of the other interested teams. If more than one team is interested, the Sox can choose which one he goes to.

The Red Sox only have two catchers on their 40-man roster at the moment, who are Reese McGuire and Connor Wong. The latter of those two was dealing with a hamstring strain earlier in spring, which seemed to open the door for Alfaro to get a job. However, Wong now seems healthy and back in the mix for a spot on the Opening Day roster. The Sox would surely love to keep Alfaro around as depth in the event another injury pops up, but it will depend on his level of interest from other clubs around the league.

Chris Hatfield of SoxProspects.com reports that utility player Niko Goodrum also has an upward mobility clause that gets going today, though it’s not known if it will take the exact same shape as Alfaro’s. The 31-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Red Sox on the heels of a rough season with the Astros. He hit .116/.156/.163 last year while striking out in 51.1% of his 45 plate appearances. He was optioned by the Astros but an injury limited him to just 20 minor league games for the year. He was released by Houston and the Red Sox took a flier on him but he’s hitting just .178/.275/.178 in spring so far. He can play all over the diamond but likely has steep odds of making the team, as he’s competing against guys who already have roster spots. Rob Refsnyder and Jarren Duran are candidates for a backup outfield job, while Bobby Dalbec and Yu Chang are potential bench infielders.

Another option for a job with the Red Sox is outfielder Raimel Tapia, who’s also in camp on a minor league deal. Hatfield adds that Tapia can opt-out of his deal on Monday if not added to the roster. Tapia was with the Blue Jays last year and hit .265/.292/.380 for a wRC+ of 90. With the Sox moving Enrique Hernández to cover shortstop while Trevor Story is injured, they have some uncertainty in center field. Adam Duvall is set to be the regular option there, though the 34-year-old has never seen extended time there. Tapia has primarily been a left fielder in his career, though he did play center in 38 games last year and the Sox are reportedly open to using him there as well. Perhaps that ability to play center gives him an edge in the battle for bench jobs in Boston, though he’s not on the 40-man right now. The club will evidently have to make a decision in the next couple of days or they could watch him walk away from his contract. He’s having a nice spring, hitting .325/.372/.600 thus far.

The Sox currently have a full 40-man roster and would have to open up some spots if they want to add anyone from this group. Should any of this group not make the club and then end up sticking around, they will have more options to opt out in the future. Per Hatfield, Goodrum can opt out on May 1 and July 1, Alfaro on June 1 and July 1 and Tapia on July 1. Additionally, outfielder Greg Allen has an upward mobility clause on May 15 and June 15.

Red Sox, Greg Allen Agree To Minor League Contract

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7:15pm: Allen would receive a $1.4MM base salary if he makes the major league roster, reports Chris Cotillo of MassLive (on Twitter).

6:43pm: The Red Sox and outfielder Greg Allen have agreed to a minor league deal, reports Kiley McDaniel of ESPN (Twitter link). He’ll be in big league camp as a non-roster invitee.

Allen, 30 in March, has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past six seasons. Initially a Cleveland draftee, he spent the 2017-19 campaigns there as a depth outfielder before being dealt to the Padres in the 2020 trade that sent Mike Clevinger to San Diego for a six-player package including Cal Quantrill, Austin Hedges and Josh Naylor. Allen would only appear in one game with the Padres and was designated for assignment the following offseason.

Traded to the Yankees, he spent most of the year in Triple-A after going unclaimed on waivers. The switch-hitter had a big season at the top minor league level to earn a brief MLB look, in which he hit .270/.417/.432 in 15 games. That was enough for the Pirates to take a flier when he hit waivers last offseason and the Bucs gave him his most extended major league run in three years.

Allen couldn’t maintain his 2021 form over a larger sample, hitting .186/.260/.271 with a lofty 31.3% strikeout percentage through 134 trips to the plate. Pittsburgh ran the former 6th-round draftee through waivers late last season. He cleared and elected minor league free agency at year’s end.

In exactly 800 MLB plate appearances, Allen is a .232/.299/.336 hitter. He’s hit 10 home runs with a below-average 5.6% walk rate. The speedster has been very effective on the basepaths, though, swiping 45 bases in 53 career attempts. That’s an excellent 85% success rate, including an 8-10 showing in 46 games with the Bucs last year.

Allen’s speed gives him the ability to cover all three outfield positions. Advanced metrics have been mixed on his work in center field. Defensive Runs Saved has pegged him 12 runs below average in a little less than 1000 innings at the outfield’s most demanding spot. Statcast, on the other hand, has rated him three runs above par in center. He’s drawn unanimously strong marks in the corners, particularly in left field.

Boston doesn’t have much upper level outfield depth, with Allen presumably battling Jarren Duran and potentially a future acquisition or two for a depth role behind Masataka Yoshida, Alex Verdugo and Enrique Hernández (who could also be thrust into a heavier infield workload thanks to the Trevor Story injury). Allen is out of minor league option years, meaning he’d have to stick on the active roster or be offered to other teams if he earns an MLB promotion at any point.

34 Players Become Free Agents

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The Wild Card round of the 2022 postseason begins today, but for the majority of teams and players, the offseason is now underway. With that will come plenty of roster formalities, including veteran players who’ve been outrighted off their respective teams’ rosters reaching minor league free agency. This week, there have been 34 such instances throughout the league, per the transactions log at MiLB.com.

None of these are a surprise, to be clear. Any player who is not on his team’s 40-man roster at season’s end but has three-plus years of Major League service time, multiple career outright assignments and/or seven-plus seasons in the minors has the right to elect free agency. Everyone in today’s group of players falls under that umbrella. The majority of the group will likely find minor league deals over the winter, although a few of the players in question could potentially find a big league deal as a bench piece or middle-inning reliever.

There will be several more waves of players of this ilk, and we’ll make note of them in bunches over the coming weeks as we await the launch of Major League free agency, when all unsigned players with at least six years of Major League service time will reach the open market. For now, here’s the first of what will likely be several waves of newly minted minor league free agents:

Catchers

Infielders

Outfielders

Pitchers

Pirates Outright Michael Chavis, Greg Allen

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The Pirates are outrighting infielder Michael Chavis and outfielder Greg Allen to Triple-A Indianapolis, according to the MLB.com transactions log. Chavis and Allen were both designated for assignment on Monday in order to make room for catcher Jose Godoy and third baseman/left fielder Miguel Andujar, who Pittsburgh recently claimed off waivers from the Yankees.

Chavis was drafted in the first round by the Red Sox in 2014, and was Boston’s second-ranked prospect according to Baseball America before being called up to the big leagues in late April of 2019. He had a strong rookie season in Boston, swatting 18 homers and driving in 58 runs in 95 games. After posting a weak 64 wRC+ in 2020, Chavis bounced between Triple-A Worcester and the Red Sox before being traded to the Pirates for lefty reliever Austin Davis. In 2022, Pittsburgh gave Chavis another chance to play every day. His ability to play first, second, and third base kept him in the lineup, even though he slashed a weak .229/.265/.389. Chavis, age 26, still may have some time to develop into a steady big leaguer yet. His career 37.4% hard hit rate is reason for optimism, though clubs will want to see some improvement in his 31.7% career K% if he is going to get another shot in the big leagues.

Like Chavis, Allen too will have to improve at the plate if he is going to stick in the majors. Originally a Guardians’ sixth rounder, Allen spent parts of the 2017-2020 seasons with Cleveland before being shipped to San Diego as part of the Mike Clevinger package. After a cup of coffee with the Yankees in 2021, Allen was claimed off waivers by Pittsburgh, where he posted a bleak .186/.260/.271 in 46 games with the Pirates in 2022. Though his career wRC+ of 72 leaves a lot to be desired, Allen rates highly as a left fielder and has proven himself a capable base stealer, swiping 21 bags in just 95 games in 2018. Allen, age 30, is arbitration eligible for the first time next season, meaning that he will likely have to demonstrate some marked improvement as a hitter before a club will give him an opportunity.

Now that both Chavis and Allen have accumulated three years of major league service time and are not on a 40-man roster, they can become free agents after the 2022 season.

Pirates Designate Michael Chavis, Greg Allen For Assignment

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The Pirates have announced a handful of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, with infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar, who was claimed off waivers from the Yankees yesterday, reporting to the team to take his place on the active roster. Additionally, catcher Jose Godoy has had his contract selected. In corresponding moves, infielder Michael Chavis and outfielder Greg Allen have been designated for assignment.

Chavis, 27, was drafted by the Red Sox and spent the first few years of his MLB career there as a highly-touted prospect, cracking Baseball America’s top 100 in 2018. After a tepid showing in his first tastes of the majors, he came to Pittsburgh in a July 2021 trade that sent Austin Davis the other way. Chavis’s tenure in Pittsburgh got off to a good start as he hit .357/.357/.500 after the trade last year, though an elbow strain limited him to just 12 games. He’s had a much larger sample here in 2022, making 426 plate appearances over 129 games, but hasn’t been able to do much with it. Despite launching 14 long balls on the year, he’s struck out in 29.6% of his plate appearances while walking in only 4.5% of them. On the whole, his batting line for the year is .229/.265/.389, production that’s 21% below league average according to wRC+.

Despite that lackluster output at the plate, Chavis has at least provided defensive versatility, spending time at first, second and third base this year. He passed three years of MLB service time this year and was going to be eligible for arbitration for the first time this offseason. It seems the Bucs weren’t planning on keeping him around with a higher salary next year and have effectively given him an early non-tender. With the trade deadline long gone, the Bucs will have no options except to put Chavis on outright waivers or release waivers. If any team believed Chavis could take his bat to another level, they could put in a claim. As mentioned, Chavis would be due an arbitration raise for next year if he finds another roster spot, though he also has an option year remaining.

Allen, 29, is in his sixth MLB season, having donned a few jerseys in that time. He began his career with Cleveland before bouncing to the Padres and Yankees. The Pirates claimed him off waivers from the Yanks in November but placed Allen on the 60-day injured list on Opening Day with a left hamstring injury. He was activated in July but has hit just .186/.260/.271 in 46 games since, striking out in 31.3% of his plate appearances. Like Chavis, he crossed three years of MLB service time this year and was headed into the arbitration process for the first time. He’ll be placed on waivers in the coming days to see if any team is intrigued enough to give him a roster spot and pay bump. Despite the poor showing at the plate this year, he stole eight bases and provided above-average outfield defense. Neither player would be eligible for postseason play with a new club, as players must be in a team’s system prior to September 1 in order to qualify.

Godoy, 27, began the year with the Mariners before going to the Giants, Twins and Pirates on a series of waiver claims. He’s a well-regarded defender behind the plate but hasn’t shown much with the bat at the major league level. His career batting line is .128/.212/.149, though in a small sample of just 52 plate appearances. The Bucs have been using Jason Delay as their primary catcher with Zack Collins as the backup, though Collins has also been spending some time at first base. Godoy’s promotion will give them a more traditional backup catcher for the final stretch of the schedule.

Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported the moves before the official announcement.

Pirates Designate Michael Perez For Assignment

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The Pirates announced this evening they’ve designated catcher Michael Pérez for assignment. The move clears a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Greg Allen, who has been activated from the 60-day injured list.

It’s not the biggest move of the day for the Bucs, who announced the transaction alongside their trade of designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach to the Mets for reliever Colin Holderman. It does mark a transition behind the plate, though, as Pittsburgh is down to Tyler Heineman and Jason Delay as the two backstops on the 40-man roster. The Bucs lost starting catcher Roberto Pérez to a season-ending hamstring injury in May, selecting Michael Pérez to the majors at the time their primary backstop went down.

It was the second straight season in black and gold for Michael Pérez, but he’s struggled mightily at the plate. After hitting .143/.221/.290 through 70 games last year, he owns a .150/.209/.318 showing this season. Pérez has hit six homers (three of which came in one game against the Brewers last month) in 116 plate appearances, but he’s collected just ten other hits (all singles) over 39 contests.

The Bucs will have a week to trade him or, more likely, run him through waivers. If he passes through unclaimed, Pérez would have the right to refuse an outright assignment in favor of free agency, as he has both surpassed three years of MLB service time and previously been outrighted in his career.

Allen, meanwhile, is finally lined up to make his team debut. Pittsburgh grabbed the switch-hitting outfielder off waivers from the Yankees last winter, but he suffered a left hamstring injury in Spring Training and wound up missing the first three and a half months of the regular season. Once a well-regarded prospect coming up in the Cleveland farm system, Allen has struggled to a .241/.307/.348 line in 666 plate appearances as a big leaguer. The 29-year-old raked at a .326/.442/.465 clip in 73 games with the Yankees’ top affiliate in Scranton/Wilkes-Barre last season, however, catching the attention of the Bucs front office.

Pirates Sign Jake Marisnick, Designate Adonis Medina For Assignment

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APRIL 7: It’s a big league deal for Marisnick, according to the club’s transactions log at MLB.com. Fellow outfielder Greg Allen has been placed on the 60-day injured list with a left hamstring issue in a corresponding move. Pittsburgh also designated righty Adonis Medina for assignment to create room on the 40-man for catcher Andrew Knapp, who signed a one-year deal

APRIL 6: The Pirates have agreed to a deal with free-agent outfielder Jake Marisnick, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Marisnick, a client of Reynolds Sports Management, was in camp with the Rangers but became a free agent yesterday.

Marisnick, 31, split the 2021 season between the Cubs and Padres, batting a combined .216/.286/.375 through 198 trips to the plate. The longtime Astros outfielder has never been known for his offensive prowess, however, and instead provides the bulk of his value with the glove and on the basepaths. Capable of playing all three outfield positions, Marisnick boasts a whopping 75 Defensive Runs Saved and an impressive 41 Outs Above Average in 4929 career innings in the outfield. He’s also swiped 77 bases in 105 tries (73.3%).

Details on the signing aren’t yet clear, but if it’s a big league deal, Marisnick will give the Bucs a true fourth outfielder and a right-handed-hitting complement to lefty-swinging left fielder Ben Gamel — something they’d previously lacked. Marisnick can also back up any of the team’s current outfielders should they need a breather, and he’s an ideal option to come into the game as a late-inning defensive replacement or pinch-runner in a key spot.

Pirates Claim Greg Allen Off Waivers From Yankees

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The Pirates announced this afternoon that they’ve claimed outfielder Greg Allen off waivers from the Yankees. Allen had been selected to the big league roster before New York’s AL Wild Card game but didn’t appear in the contest.

During the regular season, the 28-year-old Allen saw only fifteen games of action in pinstripes. He made the most of that time, putting up a huge .270/.417/.432 slash line and going a perfect 5-for-5 on stolen base attempts. His Triple-A production was even better, as the switch-hitter mashed at a .326/.442/.465 clip over 263 plate appearances with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

The rebuilding Pirates will take a no-risk flier to see if Allen can build off his 2021 campaign. A fairly well-regarded prospect coming up in the Cleveland farm system, he didn’t hit well enough to cement himself as an everyday player. From 2017-20, he posted a meager .239/.298/.343 mark, and advanced defensive metrics weren’t enamored with his work in center field.

Assuming he sticks on the 40-man roster all offseason, Allen will get a shot to compete for a job in Spring Training. He’s out of minor league option years, so the Bucs will either need to carry him on the major league roster out of camp or make him available to the rest of the league.

Robert Murray of FanSided first reported the move.

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