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Angels Outright John Lamb, Sherman Johnson

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The Angels announced today that they have outrighted lefty John Lamb and infielder Sherman Johnson. Both players were assigned to Triple-A after clearing waivers.

Lamb, 28, landed in the Halos organization after injuries (and a 2017 suspension for a drug of abuse) wiped out much of his former promise. He threw well for the club’s top affiliate, working to a 3.44 ERA with 9.8 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 49 2/3 innings across 13 starts, but was bombed in his ten MLB frames.

As for Johnson, who is also 28 years of age, he received a brief major league promotion after spending the past four years in the upper minors. Over 979 career plate appearances at Triple-A, he carries a .241/.345/.367 slash with 15 home runs as well as 128 walks against 198 strikeouts.

John Lamb To Undergo Tommy John Surgery

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Angels southpaw John Lamb will undergo Tommy John surgery after an MRI revealed a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow, according to a team media release.  Lamb just hit the disabled list a few days ago due to shoulder and elbow inflammation.

Lamb signed a minor league deal with Los Angeles in the 2016-17 offseason and made three starts for the team this year, which represented his first taste of MLB action since pitching for the Reds in 2016.  Lamb was solid in his first outing but struggled in his next two starts, and he’ll end the year with an ugly 7.20 ERA and four homers allowed over just 10 innings pitched.

The surgery represents the latest setback for Lamb in a career that has been marked by injuries and off-the-field issues.  Considered one of the game’s top pitching prospects in his early days in the Royals’ farm system, Lamb was never quite the same after undergoing his first Tommy John procedure in 2011.  He has also battled back injuries and served a 50-game suspension last season after testing positive for a drug of abuse.  Over 129 2/3 career innings with the Reds and Angels, Lamb has a 6.25 ERA, 8.8 K/9, and 3.25 K/BB rate, with the long ball being a consistent problem (1.8 HR/9) for the left-hander.

The Angels have been ravaged by pitching injuries over the last few seasons, and Lamb is now the fourth Halos pitcher (after J.C. Ramirez, Keynan Middleton, and Blake Wood) to require Tommy John surgery in the last two-plus months.  Jake Jewell is also gone for the season after undergoing right fibula surgery, while Matt Shoemaker could potentially miss the rest of the year after he needed to go under the knife to fix a split tendon in his forearm.  All told, Anaheim currently has a whopping 11 pitchers on its disabled list, including front-of-the-rotation names like Garrett Richards and Shohei Ohtani (though Ohtani may be close to a return as a hitter, if not yet as a pitcher as the team continues to monitor his UCL sprain.)

Angels Activate Andrelton Simmons

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Angels shortstop Andrelton Simmons is on the lineup card for today’s game against the Athletics, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register was first to report. A corresponding move has not yet been announced for either Simmons’ activation nor starter John Lamb’s promotion, though Fletcher notes that infielder Nolan Fontana and right-hander Oliver Drake are not on the lineup card.

The reinstatement of Simmons comes as a surprise, considering that his original diagnosis after slipping on the dugout steps (grade 2 ankle sprain) implies at least a slight tear to a ligament. A return after the 10-day minimum stay on the disabled list, then, would seem to be an unexpected best-case scenario for the late-blooming Simmons, who has already improved upon his breakout 2017 season by posting 3.1 fWAR in just 59 games on the season so far. Simmons is slashing an excellent .330/.399/.460 with four homers and five steals on the year.

It’s at least some good news for an Angels club that has seen a wealth of back injury luck. Even with Simmons activated, the club has a significant number of players on the DL, including arguably their four best starting pitchers. The return of Simmons will no doubt provide a boost to both the club’s offense and defense, and fans will have to hope it can serve as a shot in the arm for their team, who currently sit 7.5 games outside of first place in the AL West.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/23/18

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We’ll track the day’s minor moves in this post:

  • Outfielder Jacob May was outrighted by the White Sox after clearing waivers, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports. Likewise, Angels lefty Nate Smith is headed for Triple-A via outright. Both were designated for assignment recently.
  • Infielder Ty Kelly is returning to the Mets, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). The 29-year-old first reached the bigs in New York and also spent time in the majors last year with the Phillies. He has hit well at times in the upper minors but has yet to translate that to the majors in limited opportunities.
  • The Tigers have purchased the contract of lefty Caleb Thielbar from the St. Paul Saints, per an announcement from the indy ball club. Soon to turn 31, Thielbar hasn’t seen the majors since 2015. In 98 2/3 total innings at the game’s highest level, though, he has pitched to a 2.74 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9. He was released by the Marlins just before the start of the 2017 season after competing for a job in camp.
  • Righty Carlos Frias is re-joining the Indians on a minors pact, the club announced. The 28-year-old, who has not seen substantial MLB time since 2015, stumbled to an 8.05 ERA with an ugly 21:22 K/BB ratio at Triple-A last year with the Cleveland organization.
  • The Angels have re-signed lefty John Lamb, Cotillo tweets. Once a well-regarded prospect, the 27-year-old saw his career derailed by back issues. He did throw 139 innings at Triple-A last year with the Halos organization, though he managed only a 5.44 ERA with 5.2 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9.
  • Reliever Bryan Harper has re-joined the Nationals on a minor-league deal with a spring invite, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. Bryce’s older brother has never been seen as a major asset, but he’s an accomplished minor-league reliever. He missed all of 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, but has allowed less than three earned runs per nine in over a hundred frames in the upper minors.
  • Outfielder Matt Lipka is joining the Giants organization on a minor-league deal, Cotillo also tweets. A first-round pick in the 2010 draft, Lipka has not yet shown that he can hand the bat in the upper minors. He posted a .754 OPS in 370 plate appearances last year at the High-A level, but limped to a .160/.216/.223 slash over his 102 trips to the plate at Double-A.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/9/17

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Angels lefty John Lamb has received a fifty-game suspension for his second positive test for a drug of abuse, as Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times was among those to tweet. The 26-year-old received 24 MLB starts over 2015-16 with the Reds, who acquired him in the Johnny Cueto deal. But he struggled to a 6.17 ERA in that span, striking out 8.7 batters per nine while issuing 3.8 walks per nine and allowing 142 base hits — 22 of them long balls. Lamb caught on with the Halos on a minors deal after he was cut loose by Cincinnati over the winter.
  • The Dodgers have inked lefty Logan Darnell to a minors pact, as Triple-A Oklahoma City broadcaster/media relations director Alex Freedman announced on Twitter. Darnell, 28, has 24 MLB frames under his belt, all of those coming in 2014 with the Twins. Last year, he worked to a 3.53 ERA over 109 2/3 Triple-A frames. He wasn’t exactly generating great results with the indy ball Somerset Patriots, but evidently showed enough to catch the eye of the Dodgers’ brass.
  • Righty Justin De Fratus has signed a minor-league deal with the Mariners, the indy ball Southern Maryland Blue Crabs announced on Twitter. De Fratus, 29, spent parts of five years in the majors with the Phillies. But he struggled in 2015 and then bounced around the minors last season.
  • The Cardinals have released reliever Mitch Harris, as Glenn Sattell of MLB.com reports. The 31-year-old has continued to struggle with elbow issues. He had made a notable big league debut in 2015, making it to the majors after putting his professional career on hold during a stint in the Navy. The Naval Academy grad worked 27 innings of 3.67 ERA ball that year, though he managed only 5.0 K/9 against 4.3 BB/9 in that stretch.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/3/16

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Here are the day’s minor moves:

  • Free agent right-hander Parker Markel has agreed to terms with a team in Asia, reports Zach Links of Pro Football Rumors and MLBTR (Twitter link). The 26-year-old performed well in 2016 with a 2.52 ERA, 6.97 K/9 and 3.56 BB/9 in 60 2/3 innings as a member of the Rays’ Triple-A affiliate in Durham. Between going to the Rays in the 39th round of the 2010 draft and heading to Asia, Markel posted a 3.99 ERA, 7.3 K/9 and 3.4 BB/9 across 197 minor league appearances (54 starts) and 466 1/3 frames.
  • The Angels have added lefty John Lamb and catcher Tony Sanchez on minor-league deals, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America (via Twitter). A top prospect not long ago, Lamb has changed hands a few times this winter as he has continued to deal with injury issues. Sanchez also has quite a prospect pedigree, but has failed to gain traction in the upper minors.
  • Recently acquired righty Ryan Weber was outrighted to Triple-A by the Mariners, per a club announcement. Added through a waiver claim from the Braves, the 26-year-old lost his 40-man spot when Seattle acquired two other former Atlanta hurlers. Weber’s quality upper-minors numbers have yet to translate to the majors, where he owns a 5.15 ERA over 64 2/3 innings over the past two seasons.
  • The Brewers outrighted righties Steve Geltz and David Goforth, the team announced. Geltz had just been claimed off waivers, so perhaps Milwaukee will hope he clears and can be stashed. The 29-year-old struggled to a 5.74 ERA in his 26 2/3 major league frames in 2016, but was much better in prior years and also showed well at Triple-A. While Goforth had a solid debut year in 2015, he scuffled in both the majors and at Triple-A in his most recent campaign.

Rays Release John Lamb, Designate Steve Geltz For Assignment

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The Rays have released left-hander John Lamb and designated right-hander Steve Geltz for assignment, according to Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (on Twitter).

Lamb, 26, was acquired from the Reds in exchange for cash earlier this offseason. While many Cincinnati fans took umbrage to the fact that Lamb, who was one of the three lefties acquired by the Reds in the 2015 Johnny Cueto blockbuster, was traded for essentially no return. However, Lamb has had two back surgeries in the past 11 months, including one shortly after the season ended, and has struggled tremendously in the Majors when healthy enough to pitch. While he’s averaged a promising 8.7 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9, Lamb has been very homer-prone and ultimately recorded a 6.17 ERA in 119 2/3 innings. Lamb is a former top 25 overall prospect, however, and he did pitch well in Triple-A as recently as 2015 (2.67 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 111 1/3 innings). He should draw interest elsewhere on a minor league pact this offseason, given his pedigree and recent success in the upper minors.

Geltz, who turned 29 two weeks ago, pitched to a 5.74 ERA in 26 2/3 innings with Tampa Bay this past season but posted a more impressive 3.03 ERA with better than 10 strikeouts per nine innings during his time at Triple-A. He had a solid season out of the Tampa Bay ’pen in 2015 (3.74 ERA, 8.2 K/9, 3.5 BB/9 in 67 1/3 innings) and has a 4.23 ERA in 104 1/3 innings at the big league level dating back to 2012.

Rays To Acquire John Lamb

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The Reds have agreed to a trade that’ll send lefty John Lamb to the Rays, tweets Zach Links of MLBTR and Pro Football Rumors. Jon Heyman of FanRag Sports tweets that the Rays are sending cash back to the Reds in return.

The 26-year-old Lamb was one of three left-handers that the Reds acquired from the Royals in 2015’s Johnny Cueto blockbuster. Once touted as one of the top 20 prospects in all of baseball by both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Lamb’s stock has dropped precipitously over the years due to multiple injuries. In addition to the two back surgeries to repair herniated disks, Lamb also underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer and missed nearly two full seasons as a result. He’s pitched with the Reds in each of the past two seasons but has struggled in the Majors, posting a combined 6.17 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 3.8 BB/9 in 119 2/3 innings.

Lamb’s struggles were present in Triple-A Louisville this year as well, but he’s excelled in the minors as recently as 2015, when he pitched to a stellar 2.67 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9 in 111 1/3 innings. The former fifth-round pick is out of minor league options, so while he could potentially open the 2017 season on the Major League disabled list, they’ll need to make a quick decision on him when he’s ready to be activated (assuming, of course, that the Rays don’t try to sneak Lamb through waivers this winter).

Reds Designate John Lamb, Select Contract Of Ariel Hernandez

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The Reds announced today that they’ve designated left-hander John Lamb for assignment and selected the contract of right-hander Ariel Hernandez. Lamb recently underwent his second back surgery in the past 10 months, giving him a chance to clear waivers.

Originally acquired from the Royals alongside Brandon Finnegan and Cody Reed (in exchange for Johnny Cueto), the 26-year-old Lamb has struggled in both of his two seasons with the Reds. Injuries have long plagued the once vaunted pitching prospect, as he also underwent Tommy John surgery as a minor leaguer. There was a time when both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus regarded Lamb as one of baseball’s top 20 prospects, but it’s now been five years since he received that distinction. In 119 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, all with the Reds, Lamb has a 6.17 ERA, although his 110-to-50 K/BB ratio is somewhat encouraging. Home runs have been Lamb’s primary downfall, as he’s yielded 1.65 HR/9 to this point in his big league career.

As for Hernandez, the 24-year-old Dominican righty was originally signed by the Giants but ultimately wound up pitching in independent ball in 2015 before the D-backs gave him another chance. While Hernandez posted just a 6.04 ERA in 22 1/3 innings in the Arizona system in 2015, the Reds saw something they liked and picked him up in the minor league phase of the Rule 5 Draft and were rewarded for that show of faith. While Hernandez was old to be pitching in the Class-A Midwest League and Class-A Advanced Florida State League, the combined 2.18 ERA, 10.7 K/9 rate and 54.6 percent ground-ball rate he compiled are nonetheless impressive. Control appears to be an issue, as he did average 5.7 walks per nine innings. Scouting reports on the right-hander are scarce, though Baseball America did list him as a “rising” prospect in the Cincinnati system in July, noting that he’s still “way too wild” but possesses one of baseball’s best fastball/curveball combos and has drawn some 80 grades from scouts on both pitches (BA subscription required and recommended).

Reds’ John Lamb Undergoes Back Surgery

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The Reds announced to reporters today that left-hander John Lamb has surgery to repair a herniated lumbar disk in his back (via MLB.com’s Mark Sheldon, on Twitter). A specific timeline for Lamb’s recovery isn’t clear, but the 26-year-old is not expected to be ready for the start of the 2017 season, per the announcement.

This will mark the second straight offseason in which Lamb, who was acquired in the July 2015 Johnny Cueto blockbuster with the Royals, has undergone back surgery. He opened the 2015 campaign on the DL following a back operation as well, though that procedure was apparently more minor, as it came in December 2015 and Lamb was sent on a rehab assignment in mid-April before making his 2016 debut on May 3.

Lamb was hardly a lock to break camp in the Cincinnati rotation after struggling to a 6.43 ERA through 70 innings with the Reds in 2016 and a 5.80 ERA in 49 2/3 inning following the trade in 2015. Those numbers represent the entirety of Lamb’s big league efforts to this point, so he’d have had to earn his spot on the roster with a big showing in Spring Training. However, there’s reason to believe that he could have done just that. The former fifth-round pick was once heralded as one of the best overall pitching prospects not only in the Royals’ minor league ranks but in all of Major League Baseball. Prior to the 2011 season (two and a half years after he was drafted), Baseball America rated Lamb as the No. 18 prospect in the game, while Baseball Prospectus ranked him an even more aggressive 11th overall. Tommy John surgery slowed his career along the way, however, costing Lamb nearly all of the 2011-12 seasons.

Lamb struggled in 29 1/3 innings at the Triple-A level in 2016 but tossed just 29 1/3 innings in his time there, so it’s tough to glean much of a meaningful impression from that stretch. He has a career ERA of 3.75 in 295 innings in Triple-A, though, including a brilliant stretch of 111 1/3 innings last season, during which he posted a 2.67 ERA with 9.5 K/9 against 2.9 BB/9.

If and when Lamb is ready to return from the disabled list in 2017, the Reds will quickly face a decision on him. The southpaw is out of minor league options, so if they’re going to activate him from the disabled list, he’ll need to be added directly to the active roster, as he can’t be sent to the minors without first being exposed to outright waivers.

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