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Orioles Claim Jake Reed From Dodgers

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The Orioles announced they’ve claimed reliever Jake Reed off waivers from the Dodgers. In a corresponding move, Baltimore placed infielder Jonathan Araúz on the restricted list. The O’s also announced that righty Phoenix Sanders, whom they’d designated for assignment over the weekend, has gone unclaimed on waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Norfolk.

Reed has been a frequent name on the waiver wire over the past two seasons. A minor league signee of the Dodgers, the right-hander first reached the big leagues in July 2021. He’s subsequently gone from L.A. to the Rays, the Mets and then back to the Dodgers on waivers. His second stint with the Dodgers lasted less than two months, as he was claimed in mid-July but designated for assignment last Friday when the club reinstated Blake Treinen from the injured list. The O’s become the latest team to take a shot on Reed, who’d also spent time in the Twins and Angels organizations before getting to the majors.

Despite drawing frequent interest from clubs, the University of Oregon product doesn’t have a ton of big league experience. He’s logged 21 innings over 20 appearances, posting a 5.57 ERA with a below-average 19.7% strikeout percentage. The low-slot righty has a better track record in the upper minors, pitching to a 3.84 ERA with a 25.6% strikeout rate through parts of six seasons in Triple-A. The O’s can bounce him between Baltimore and Norfolk for both this season and next if he holds a spot on their 40-man roster, as he’s in his second of three minor league option years.

While Reed can factor into the Orioles surprising postseason push this month, he wouldn’t be available to the club in the playoffs if they can run down a Wild Card spot. Players acquired after August 31 are ineligible for a team’s playoff roster. Now that he’s changed organizations in September, Reed won’t be allowed to participate in the 2022 postseason.

Araúz was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in June. He’s spent most of his Orioles tenure on optional assignment to Norfolk but hasn’t appeared in a game since last Friday. The club hasn’t provided a reason for his absence, but Araúz will not count against the 40-man roster (nor will he be paid) for any time he spends on the restricted list.

Sanders was also a waiver claim from an AL East rival, joining the O’s from the Rays a few weeks ago. The 27-year-old didn’t suit up at the big league level with Baltimore, but he’ll stick in the organization. Sanders has never been outrighted before in his career, and he doesn’t have the requisite three years of MLB service time to elect free agency. Sanders made his first eight MLB appearances with the Rays earlier in the season, allowing five runs with a 12:3 strikeout-to-walk ratio through 14 2/3 innings.

Orioles Claim Jonathan Arauz, Designate Zac Lowther

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The Orioles announced they’ve claimed infielder Jonathan Araúz off waivers from the Red Sox and optioned him to Triple-A Norfolk. Left-hander Zac Lowther has been designated for assignment to create a 40-man roster spot.

Boston designated Araúz for assignment last week, a move that eventually ended his tenure in the organization after two-plus seasons. Selected out of the Astros organization in the 2019 Rule 5 draft, Araúz stuck on the active roster for the shortened 2020 campaign. Boston secured his long-term contractual rights and he’s bounced on and off the active roster for the past two seasons as a depth infielder. The switch-hitter owns a .204/.280/.320 line with four home runs through 167 big league plate appearances.

The Panama native has posted a .228/.303/.329 mark in just under 400 trips to the dish with the Red Sox’s top affiliate in Worcester. That’s obviously not great production, but he’s only punched out in 15.8% of his Triple-A plate appearances. Araúz is capable of playing both middle infield positions as well as third base, and while he’s never likely to be much of a power threat, he at least brings solid bat-to-ball skills to the table. The 23-year-old is in his second minor league option year, so the O’s can stash him in Norfolk for the next year and a half if he holds onto a 40-man spot.

Lowther’s designation comes as a bit of a surprise, as the Xavier product had recently been rated as one of the better pitching prospects in the organization. He’s appeared among Baseball America’s rankings of the O’s top 30 prospects heading into each of the past five years. Lowther doesn’t throw hard or draw particularly strong grades for his breaking pitches, but evaluators have pointed to the deception in his delivery and his generally strong control as reasons he could be a useful depth starter.

The 26-year-old is amidst an absolutely dreadful season with Norfolk, though, as he’s been tagged for a 10.03 ERA across 35 innings. He’s served up eight homers in his ten outings while posting worse than average strikeout and walk numbers (21.7% and 10%, respectively). Lowther has also been hit hard at the big league level, allowing just under seven earned runs per nine innings over 11 appearances. That’s a far cry from his stellar performances up through Double-A, and the O’s have been discouraged enough by the recent results to risk losing him entirely.

Baltimore will have a week to trade Lowther or try to run him through outright waivers. His low minors dominance and pair of remaining options could lead another team to see whether they can get him back on track. If Lowther goes unclaimed, he’d remain in the upper minors of the Orioles’ system without occupying a spot on the 40-man roster.

Red Sox Designate Jonathan Arauz For Assignment

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The Red Sox a series of roster moves to reporters, including Ian Browne of MLB.com. Right-hander Garrett Whitlock is heading to the 15-day injured list, with right hip inflammation, retroactive to June 9. Fellow righty Phillips Valdez, who was just optioned yesterday for the activation of Hansel Robles, will take his roster spot. Optional assignments usually require a 15-day minimum stint before returning to the roster, though exceptions are made when a player goes on the IL or for double-headers. Additionally, the previously-reported selection of outfielder Rob Refsnyder has been made official, with infielder Jonathan Arauz being designated for assignment to create a spot for him.

A native of Panama, Arauz was originally signed by the Phillies as an international free agent back in 2014. The following year, he was traded to the Astros as part of the Ken Giles deal. The Red Sox selected him in the 2019 Rule 5 draft, with Arauz sticking on the roster through the entirety of the pandemic-shortened 2020 season.

Of course, the Red Sox were undergoing a miserable season in 2020, finishing dead last in the AL East with a record of 24-36. As the team has put some distance between themselves and that campaign, Arauz has done little to justify hanging onto a roster spot. In 59 career games over the past three seasons, he’s hit .204/.280/.320 for a wRC+ of 62. Even in Triple-A, things haven’t gone much better, as Arauz has hit just .228/.303/.329 in 92 career games there.

The Red Sox will now have a week to trade him or put him on waivers. Despite his light-hitting stat line, he could still garner some interest, as he is still very young at only 23 years old, making it possible he still has some development ahead of him. He also brings versatility to the table, as he is a switch-hitter and is capable of playing shortstop, second base and third base. He still has options remaining, meaning a team that acquires him could keep him in Triple-A for depth purposes.

As for Whitlock, he was scheduled to start Sunday’s game, meaning the club will have a rotation hole to fill. He started the year in the bullpen but has gradually been shifted into the rotation. He was getting better results as a reliever, though it’s possible this hip issue has contributed to his dampened results. Through the end of April, he had a 0.54 ERA, though it’s been 5.06 since.

COVID IL Notes: Wheeler, Arauz, Sosa, Wainwright

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Phillies ace Zack Wheeler, who’d been on the COVID IL since Sunday, has been cleared to rejoin the team and will start tonight’s game against the Dodgers, reports Scott Lauber of the Philadelphia Enquirer. To make room for Wheeler on the active roster, the Phillies optioned left-hander Bailey Falter to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. It’s a timely return for the Phillies, who’ll avoid a crunch in rotation following a pair of rainouts and a Sunday doubleheader against the Mets last weekend. Even with Wheeler’s return, the rotation is still down a man with Zach Eflin still on the COVID list. However, the club has an off-day on Monday, meaning they can survive with four starters for a couple of turns through the rotation. After five starts this year, Wheeler’s ERA is sitting at 4.10, with a 22.5% strikeout rate and 8.1% walk rate.

Rounding up the latest virus-related transactions…

  • The Red Sox announced that they have reinstated Jonathan Arauz from the COVID-related IL. To make room on the 40-man roster, left-hander Josh Taylor has been transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. Taylor has somewhat quietly become an important part of the Red Sox bullpen. Over the previous three seasons, he’s thrown 102 1/3 innings with a 3.69 ERA, 29.4% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. He’s gradually earned himself some higher-leverage outings, notching 15 holds and a save last year. However, he began this year on the injured list due to back soreness. He began a rehab assignment last month, though that was paused after the issue lingered. The Red Sox evidently don’t think he’s close to a return, based on today’s transaction. Taylor will be eligible to return 60 days from his original placement on the IL, meaning he could be back in early June, though the club hasn’t provided any timetable for his next steps.
  • The Cardinals announced that Edmundo Sosa was activated from the COVID IL today. Kramer Robertson was optioned in a corresponding move. With the recent demotion of Paul DeJong, there’s an opening for Sosa to take over as the everyday shortstop in St. Louis. Last year, he broke out with a .271/.346/.389 showing for a 104 wRC+. However, he got off to a slow start this year, hitting just .160/.250/.160 in a small ten-game sample before landing on the injured list. He’ll be jockeying with Brendan Donovan, who is off to a hot start to his MLB career. Over his first 12 games in the big leagues, Donovan is hitting .278/.381/.556, 169 wRC+. Another path the team could eventually take would be to slide Tommy Edman over to shortstop and call up second base prospect Nolan Gorman, who is hitting .287/.350/.658 in Triple-A this year for a wRC+ of 157.
  • There’s one Cardinal that is still on the COVID IL, right-hander Adam Wainwright. It seems that he is back with the club and could be taking the ball for Sunday’s game, per Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Packy Naughton recently made a spot start to cover for Wainwright and would likely be bumped to the bullpen or optioned to the minors if Waino can indeed return this weekend. The 40-man roster currently has a vacancy, meaning a corresponding move won’t be necessary in that regard. Through six starts this year, Wainwright has a 3.18 ERA, 20% strikeout rate, 9.3% walk rate and 57.6% ground ball rate.

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