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Giants Release Jake Lamb, Move Bryce Eldridge To Triple-A

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The Giants released veteran first baseman Jake Lamb from his minor league deal on Monday, according to the MLB.com transaction tracker. That’s tied to a move for their top prospect, as Bryce Eldridge has been bumped up to Triple-A Sacramento. Susan Slusser of The San Francisco Chronicle first reported the Eldridge move.

Lamb, 34, signed an offseason minor league contract. He hit .240/.352/.353 across 176 plate appearances. He walked at a strong 11.9% clip while striking out a quarter of the time. The lefty-hitting Lamb has accrued over eight years of MLB service and owns a .235/.326/.427 slash line in nearly 2700 big league plate appearances. His most recent MLB experience consisted of 19 games for the Angels in 2023.

Eldridge is a 20-year-old first baseman who was the Giants’ first-round pick out of high school two seasons ago. He made an eight-game cameo in Triple-A at the end of last year, a time when all of the organization’s lower level affiliates had already finished playing. There wasn’t any consideration to an MLB promotion at the time. A call in the coming weeks is much more realistic. After beginning this season on the shelf with a left wrist injury, Eldridge crushed Double-A pitching at a .280/.350/.512 clip in 34 games. He’s now back in Sacramento for a longer run than he got last season — unless the Giants feel compelled to call him to Oracle Park even more quickly.

President of baseball operations Buster Posey left the door open to Eldridge forcing their hand if he hits the ground running in Triple-A. “I think all of these decisions and conversations are fluid,” Posey said (link via Shayna Rubin of The San Francisco Chronicle). “Things can change. For Bryce, it’s best to get reps, but things change. So we’ll continue to have conversations and watch his progress.”

The Giants have had the worst first base production of any contender. They entered play tonight with .183/.291/.312 line out of the position. They’re last in batting average and slugging while ranking 21st in on-base percentage. Only the Pirates, Marlins and White Sox have received a lower OPS.

That mostly falls on LaMonte Wade Jr., who has a dismal .167/.275/.271 line after posting consecutive seasons with an OBP above .370 in 2023-24. Right-handed platoon partner Casey Schmitt hasn’t provided much either. Wade is day-to-day after being hit on the right hand by a Stephen Kolek pitch last night. Schmitt is starting against San Diego righty Ryan Bergert this evening.

Giants, Jake Lamb Agree To Minor League Contract

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The Giants are signing Jake Lamb to a minor league deal, reports Jon Heyman of The New York Post. The CAA client gets an invitation to big league camp. He’d earn a $1MM base salary if he makes the MLB roster.

Lamb spent the 2024 season in Triple-A as a member of the Pittsburgh organization. He tallied 414 plate appearances and had a roughly average .264/.350/.393 line with seven home runs. It was a step down from his minor league production from the preceding season. Lamb had combined for a .289/.420/.454 slash in 85 Triple-A contests between the Yankees and Angels two years ago. He earned a brief MLB call from the Halos, appearing in 19 games.

Last season was the first since 2013 in which Lamb did not get to the majors. He’s best known for his early-career run as an everyday third baseman in Arizona. Lamb was an All-Star in 2017 and combined for 59 homers between 2016-17. He hasn’t reached 250 big league plate appearances in a season since then. The lefty batter has appeared for seven different clubs going back to 2018. He has a .205/.306/.359 slash in nearly 900 trips to the plate over that time.

As he enters his age-34 season, Lamb has mostly moved off the hot corner. He didn’t play third base at all last season. He spent most of his time at first base or designated hitter and made a handful of starts in right field. He’ll vie for a spot on the San Francisco bench. The Giants have lefty-swinging LaMonte Wade Jr. penciled in at first base. They don’t have a set answer at designated hitter. Lamb hasn’t hit enough in recent seasons to play there regularly, but he could play his way into a rotational role with a strong showing in camp and/or at Triple-A Sacramento.

Pirates, Jake Lamb Agree To New Minor League Deal

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The Pirates brought infielder Jake Lamb back on a new minor league contract after granting him his release when he triggered an opt-out clause last week, reports Andrew Destin of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. He’s headed back to Triple-A Indianapolis, where he spent the first two-plus months of the season.

Lamb, 33, has had a nice season in Indianapolis this year. The 2017 All-Star has appeared in 55 games and taken 234 turns at the plate, posting a .289/.380/.418 slash with four home runs, 13 doubles, a 12% walk rate and an 18.4% strikeout rate. It’s a fairly quick return to the same organization, though that’s not uncommon for veterans in this situation. New minor league deals in these scenarios can often include a larger salary in Triple-A, additional opt-out dates and/or upward mobility clauses that weren’t present in the prior pact from which the player opted out.

A veteran of 10 big league seasons, mostly with the D-backs, Lamb was a former top prospect who broke out as Arizona’s everyday third baseman back in 2016-17, slugging 59 home runs during that two-year peak. Shoulder troubles arose for the 2012 sixth-rounder, however, and he eventually underwent surgery to repair his rotator cuff in 2018. He’s since had calf and hamstring injuries in addition to some lingering issues with that surgically repaired shoulder.

Prior to the surgery, Lamb carried a career .247/.332/.448 batting line in his career — including a heftier .248/.345/.498 output during that 2016-17 run. He’s since bounced from around the league, spending time with the A’s, White Sox, Blue Jays, Dodgers, Mariners, Angels and Yankees organizations in addition to this year’s Triple-A stint with the Bucs. In 223 big league games post-surgery, he’s a .199/.306/.363 hitter.

The Pirates stuck with first baseman Rowdy Tellez through an awful April and May stretch, and they’ve been rewarded with a much-improved .362/.413/.552 slash this month (albeit in only 63 plate appearances). That’s likely extended Tellez’s leash, but if he reverts to his early-season struggles and/or incurs an injury, it’s feasible that the Pirates could turn to Lamb and give him a look in the majors. He’s played first base almost exclusively in Indy this year — five games in right field being the only other defensive work he’s logged — so it’ll likely take a change in Pittsburgh’s first base/DH mix to get Lamb a major league opportunity.

Niko Goodrum Elects Free Agency

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Utilityman Niko Goodrum elected free agency after the Pirates designated him for assignment last week, tweets Alex Stumpf of MLB.com. Goodrum went unclaimed on outright waivers and had sufficient service time to explore the market.

The 32-year-old didn’t appear in a game with the Pirates. Pittsburgh claimed Goodrum off waivers from the Angels on June 10 before squeezing him off the roster four days later. The Bucs were his fourth organization of the 2024 season. Goodrum spent Spring Training with the Twins on a minor league deal. He had brief MLB stints with the Rays and Halos before his stopover in the Steel City.

Goodrum hit just .103/.188/.103 in 33 MLB plate appearances. He’d hit well for Tampa Bay’s Triple-A team in Durham, running a .316/.422/.605 slash in nine games. Goodrum had excellent numbers (.280/.448/.440) with Boston’s top minor league affiliate a year ago and continued to hit well as a member of the KBO’s Lotte Giants. He shouldn’t have an issue finding another minor league contract.

Pittsburgh also granted infielder Jake Lamb his release from Triple-A Indianapolis, tweets Noah Hiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Lamb evidently had an opt-out deal in the minor league contract he signed over the winter. The 33-year-old hit .289/.380/.416 with a strong 12% walk rate and an 18.4% strikeout percentage through 234 Triple-A plate appearances.

Lamb had started the season on a huge hot streak and once looked like a candidate to supplant Rowdy Tellez as a left-handed first base option. His bat has tailed off in June, though, and the Bucs decided to let him explore other opportunities rather than giving him an MLB shot.

Pirates Notes: Bae, Tellez, Lamb

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The Pirates announced Tuesday that they’ve recalled infielder/outfielder Ji Hwan Bae from Triple-A Indianapolis and optioned righty Ryder Ryan to Triple-A in his place. (Noah Wiles of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette first reported Bae’s looming promotion). It’s the third straight season with some MLB time for Bae, but this time around he’ll be looking to carve out some staying power on the heels of a big start to his season in the International League.

Through his first 122 plate appearances of the season, Bae has turned in a ridiculous .367/.479/.551 batting line — about 72% better than league-average production, by measure of wRC+. He’s clearly earned himself a look in the majors, though there’s ample reason to take those rate stats with a grain of salt. For instance, Bae has been set down on strikes in 28% of his plate appearances so far. Were it not for a comically high .525 average on balls in play, his slash line wouldn’t look nearly so strong. Fans should temper their expectations, gaudy Triple-A stats notwithstanding.

That said, there are also some encouraging signs. Bae is drawing walks at a mammoth 17.2% clip through his first 27 Triple-A games. He’s popped four homers after only hitting three in 120 games (MLB and Triple-A combined) last season. He’s 7-for-10 in stolen bases as well, showing the speed that helped him swipe 24 bags for the Bucs just last season. At the very least, he’s deserving of an opportunity to try to show he’s better than 2023’s .231/.296/.311 slash in 371 big league plate appearances.

Bae has experience at second base and in the outfield, but the latter seems a likelier landing spot. The Pirates only recently called up second baseman Nick Gonzales in another effort to spark a tepid offense, and he’s already ripped a couple of homers while posting a solid enough .265/.297/.471 line in 38 turns at the plate.

One option for the Bucs would be to displace struggling first baseman Rowdy Tellez, pushing right fielder Connor Joe to first base in place. Tellez has managed only a .181/.250/.233 line in 128 plate appearances since signing a one-year, $3.2MM deal over the winter. Meanwhile, Joe — who’s played 750 big league innings at first base — has mashed at a .280/.350/.476 pace. With six long balls, he’s already more than halfway to his 2023 total (11) in just one-third the playing time.

Jason Mackey of the Post-Gazette took a look at Tellez’s significant struggles yesterday, noting that players like Bae and minor league signee Jake Lamb (.342/.438/.514 in 137 Triple-A plate appearances) have earned a look with their play thus far. Mackey speculated in an appearance on 93.7 FM The Fan in Pittsburgh this morning that a move involving Tellez could be nigh, though he’s since more concretely reported that Tellez is expected to hang onto his roster spot for now and to be in uniform for tonight’s contest.

Assistant general manager Steve Sanders appeared on The Fan this weekend as well, touching on Lamb’s success in Indianapolis and whether the club might be tempted to make a move (link via Justin Guerriero of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review). Sanders sidestepped, calling Lamb “an incredible professional on and off the field” as well as “one of the toughest outs in the minor leagues right now.” Sanders praised Lamb’s leadership and work with young Pirates prospects in Triple-A but wouldn’t commit to a promotion in the near future, only stating: “It gives us a really good feeling knowing we have a quality bat there.”

Pittsburgh has received strong offensive output from the aforementioned Joe, from Bryan Reynolds and  from catcher Joey Bart, in addition to a handful of roughly league-average batting lines (Oneil Cruz, Andrew McCutchen, Edward Olivares). They’ve also seen 2023 breakout slugger Jack Suwinski struggle tremendously, however, while top catching prospect Henry Davis has already been optioned to Indianapolis in an effort to get back on track at the plate. Opening Day second baseman Jared Triolo has hit just .212/.297/.265 and could see his playing time dry up once Ke’Bryan Hayes is ready to return at third base. Triolo has shifted to the hot corner for now to cover for the injured Hayes and in deference to Gonzales.

Currently, Pittsburgh is tied with Oakland for the third-fewest runs in the majors (180). Pirates hitters collectively rank 27th in batting average (.226), 26th in on-base percentage (.301) and 28th in slugging percentage (.353). At 24.7%, they have the game’s sixth-highest strikeout rate, although to their credit, the 9.4% team walk rate is also tied for fifth-highest in MLB. For now, they’ll hope that the recent additions of Gonzales and now Bae can be a catalyst for better run production, but more significant changes likely loom on the horizon if the lineup continues to sputter.

Pirates, Jake Lamb Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Pirates have agreed to a minor league contract with veteran corner infielder Jake Lamb, reports Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. The CAA client will head to big league camp this spring and compete for a roster spot.

Now 33 years old, Lamb is a veteran of 10 seasons at the Major League level — most of which came with the Diamondbacks. Earlier in his career, Lamb was a highly touted prospect who enjoyed a few seasons as the D-backs’ everyday third baseman, most notably slugging 59 home runs from 2016-17 combined. However, shoulder injuries have derailed his once-promising trajectory; Lamb underwent surgery to repair his rotator cuff in 2018 and has also dealt with a sprain of the AC joint in his problematic left shoulder.

The operation marked a clear turning point in his career. Prior to the injury and subsequent surgery, Lamb posted a .247/.332/.448 batting line (including a .248/.345/.498 showing in that 2016-17 peak, which included an All-Star nod). In 223 games post-surgery, Lamb is a .199/.306/.363 hitter.

While his recent track record in the big leagues is generally underwhelming, Lamb still hits the ball quite hard when putting it in play (90.6 mph average exit velocity, 44.7% hard-hit rate since 2019). That’s a notable caveat for Lamb, however, given an ugly 28% strikeout rate dating back to 2018. Still, he’s posted outstanding numbers at the Triple-A level both in 2023 (.289/.420/.454) and in 2022 (.290/.395/.537), and the pact in question carries no real risk for the Pirates.

If Lamb has a strong showing in spring training, he could make the club as a left-handed bat off the bench — one with ample experience at both infield corners and a bit of work in the outfield corners as well. If not, he’ll likely open the year in Indianapolis as Triple-A depth, where he could be an option to join the big league roster in the event of an injury to third baseman Ke’Bryan Hayes or first baseman Rowdy Tellez.

Yankees Sign Jake Lamb To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees signed first baseman/corner outfielder Jake Lamb to a minor league deal this afternoon. He was assigned to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, where he’s making his organizational debut tonight.

Lamb was let go by the Angels a couple weeks ago. The veteran left-handed hitter had signed an offseason minor league contract and broke camp with Los Angeles. He struggled over 19 games, putting up a .216/.259/.353 line before being optioned. Lamb found his stride in Triple-A, putting together a .317/.453/.498 slash over 150 plate appearances. He walked at a huge 17.3% clip against a manageable 20% strikeout rate.

Despite the big upper minors numbers, the Halos designated him for assignment and released him last month. After a couple weeks on the open market, he finds a new landing spot and will try to play his way back to the big leagues.

Lamb has now appeared at the highest level in 10 consecutive seasons. An everyday player early in his career with the Diamondbacks, he has bounced around over the past few years. Going back to the start of the 2020 campaign, Lamb has a .203/.297/.368 batting line in 434 MLB plate appearances split between seven different clubs.

Angels Place Brandon Drury On 10-Day Injured List

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The Angels placed Brandon Drury on the 10-day injured list today, as the veteran is suffering from a left shoulder contusion.  Drury’s placement is retroactive to June 30.  The Angels called up infielder Andrew Velazquez to take Drury’s spot on the roster, and the club also announced that Jake Lamb (who was designated for assignment earlier this week) has been released.

Drury hasn’t played since Thursday, when he hurt his shoulder diving for a ball in Anaheim’s 9-7 loss to the White Sox.  The IL placement seems to be largely precautionary in nature, and Drury told The Athletic’s Sam Blum and other reporters that he expects to be activated when first eligible, which is the Angels’ first game after the All-Star break.

While it doesn’t look like Drury will miss much time, his shoulder issue represents yet another injury for an Angels infielder.  The team recently acquired Eduardo Escobar and Mike Moustakas in trades to add some infield depth, but even while a couple of previously injured players have since returned, the IL’s revolving door has now continued with Drury’s placement.  Drury joins Gio Urshela (whose season might be over due to a pelvic fracture) and Zach Neto on the IL, though Neto’s return from an oblique strain might also come once the All-Star break is over, as Blum reports that Neto has been engaging in baseball activities.

After signing a two-year, $17MM free agent deal with the Angels during the offseason, Drury’s first season in a Halos uniform has been a success to date.  The 30-year-old is hitting .277/.322/.500 with 14 homers over 307 plate appearances, translating to a solid 123 wRC+.  With a .333 BABIP and below-average strikeout and walk rates, there might be some regression in store for Drury in the second half, but the Angels are certainly hoping he can continue being a key bat in their lineup, and a regular at both first and second base.

Angels Designate Jake Lamb For Assignment, Reinstate Anthony Rendon

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The Angels have designated Jake Lamb for assignment, per a team announcement. The move creates a 40-man roster spot for Victor Mederos, who has officially been selected onto the roster. The Halos also reinstated Anthony Rendon from the 10-day injured list and optioned Andrew Velazquez and Andrew Wantz to Triple-A Salt Lake.

Lamb broke camp after an offseason minor league deal. He didn’t hit well in a limited look, putting up a .216/.259/.353 line over 54 trips to the plate. In mid-May, the Halos optioned him to Salt Lake. As a player with five-plus years of MLB service, Lamb would’ve ordinarily had the right to refuse any minor league assignment. However, his contract reportedly contained a 45-day window in which the Angels could send him down.

The left-handed hitter has spent the past month and a half in Triple-A. He raked at a .317/.453/.492 clip, connecting on five homers and drawing walks in 17.3% of his 150 plate appearances. Even with infield injuries mounting at the MLB level, the Angels decided not to give him another look. They’ll now take him off the roster entirely, likely ending his time in the organization.

Los Angeles has a week to trade the 10-year MLB veteran or place him on waivers. Should he go unclaimed on waivers, he’d have the right to test free agency while retaining the entirety of this year’s salary.

Rendon draws back into the lineup two weeks after bruising his left wrist. He’ll return to the hot corner, hitting cleanup against Arizona left-hander Tommy Henry. With Velazquez going back to the minors, the Angels have an MLB infield of Rendon, Eduardo Escobar, David Fletcher, Mike Moustakas and Brandon Drury.

The Halos also announced that Kevin Padlo has accepted an assignment to Triple-A. The infielder was outrighted off the 40-man roster this afternoon.

Angels, Meibrys Viloria Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Angels have agreed to a minor league contract with catcher Meibrys Viloria, according to the transactions log at MLB.com. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Salt Lake. It’s their second non-roster deal of the day, as they also added reliever Reyes Moronta this morning.

It’s a sensible depth addition for Los Angeles. The Halos have been dealt a serious of injuries to their catching core. Rookie Logan O’Hoppe had his blistering start cut short by a labrum tear in his shoulder last month. He’ll miss most or all of the season. Expected backup Max Stassi opened the season on the injured list with a hip strain. Sam Blum of the Athletic wrote yesterday that Stassi has been attending to a family emergency and is without a timetable for his return.

That left the Angels counting on Matt Thaiss as their starter. They selected veteran backstop Chad Wallach from Triple-A but quickly lost him to concussion-like symptoms. The Halos then tabbed Chris Okey — a career .208/.283/.333 Triple-A hitter — as Thaiss’ backup. It’s understandable they’d look to add a player with upper level experience to the organization.

Viloria, 26, has appeared in parts of five major league seasons between the Royals, Rangers and Guardians. He’s functioned in a depth capacity for the majority of that time, tallying 280 cumulative plate appearances. He’s just a .198/.270/.279 hitter against big league pitching, but he’s been quite a bit better in Triple-A. The lefty-swinging backstop owns a .257/.395/.412 line over 430 trips at the top minor league level.

The Guardians carried Viloria on the MLB roster as their third catcher to start the season. He barely played, hitting just four times in roughly a month before being designated for assignment. Upon clearing waivers last week, he elected minor league free agency and quickly finds a new opportunity. The Halos’ injuries figure to give him a good shot at returning to the MLB roster. Viloria is out of minor league options, so if he’s promoted at any point, the Angels will have to keep him in the majors or DFA him themselves.

According to the transaction log, the Angels also optioned veteran first baseman Jake Lamb to Salt Lake. As a player with over five years of major league service, Lamb would ordinarily have the right to decline any minor league assignment in favor of free agency. However, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register reports (on Twitter) that Lamb had agreed to a 45-day window from the start of season in which the Halos could send him down without exposing him to waivers.

That would have closed this weekend, so the Angels decide to send him down. The lefty-hitting Lamb is hitting only .216/.259/.353 through 54 plate appearances. He’ll remain on the 40-man roster but moves into a depth capacity as the Angels near the return of Jared Walsh. The 2021 All-Star will begin a minor league rehab assignment this weekend as he works back from insomnia that delayed his start to the season.

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