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Jordan Yamamoto

Dodgers Agree To Minor League Deals With Jordan Yamamoto, Dylan Covey

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The Dodgers have agreed to minor league contract with right-handers Jordan Yamamoto and Dylan Covey. Yamamoto announced his own deal with the Dodgers on Instagram yesterday. Taiwan’s United Daily News first reported that Covey, who spent 2021-22 pitching for the Rakuten Monkeys in Taiwan’s CPBL, was signing with the Dodgers (hat tip: CPBL Stats, on Twitter).

Yamamoto, 26, was one of the four players who went from Milwaukee to Miami in the Christian Yelich blockbuster several years ago. He turned in a solid debut effort with Miami in 2019, pitching to a 4.46 ERA with a strong 25.2% strikeout rate against a rough 11.1% walk rate through 15 starts — a total of 78 2/3 innings. That looked to set the stage for Yamamoto to be a contributor on the Miami staff for the foreseeable future, but the righty was blasted for 23 runs in just 11 1/3 innings during the shortened 2020 season.

That nightmarish 2020 season was perhaps impacted by some health troubles. Yamamoto’s 2019 season ended with an IL placement due to a forearm strain, and his velocity in 2020 was down more than 1.5 mph from its 2019 levels. He was traded to the Mets in the 2020-21 offseason but pitched in just 6 2/3 Major League innings for New York in 2021, as a right shoulder injury shelved him for much of the season. Overall, Yamamoto has a 6.05 ERA in 96 2/3 big league innings, although that’s skewed heavily by the 2020 season. Subtract those 11 1/3 innings, and Yamamoto is at a much more palatable 4.43 ERA in 85 1/3 frames.

Covey, 31, has pitched in parts of four big league seasons, logging time with the White Sox each year from 2017-19 and with the Red Sox in 2020. He’s been tagged for a dismal 6.57 ERA in that time, but he has a strong track record both in Triple-A (2.63 ERA, 95 2/3 innings) and in the Chinese Professional Baseball League, where he tallied 198 1/3 innings of 3.63 ERA ball while pitching for the Monkeys.

The Dodgers already have a deep rotation mix with Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urias, Tony Gonsolin, Dustin May and Noah Syndergaard locked into big league spots (and Walker Buehler rehabbing from Tommy John surgery). That’s not counting top pitching prospects Bobby Miller, Ryan Pepiot and Gavin Stone, each of whom could factor into the plan as soon as this season. Righties Michael Grove and Andre Jackson, both on the 40-man roster, represent further depth options. Both Yamamoto and Covey will add some experience to that group.

Outrights: Yamamoto, Selman

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A pair of players designated for assignment as teams set their Opening Day rosters recently passed through waivers unclaimed.

  • The Mets have outrighted Jordan Yamamoto to Triple-A Syracuse, tweets Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. The right-hander doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse the assignment, so he’ll remain in the organization and try to pitch his way back onto the roster. New York acquired Yamamoto, formerly a decently-regarded pitching prospect, in a minor deal with the division-rival Marlins in February 2021. Unfortunately, he spent the bulk of his first season in Queens on the injured list. Yamamoto has pitched to a 6.05 ERA in 96 2/3 MLB innings, but he’s performed well up through Double-A and doesn’t have much experience at the minors’ top level.
  • The Athletics have outrighted southpaw Sam Selman to Triple-A Las Vegas, according to their transactions tracker at MLB.com. Like Yamamoto, he’ll have to stick in the organization by virtue of never having previously been outrighted and not having reached three years of MLB service. The 31-year-old reliever has pitched 54 2/3 innings over 59 MLB appearances with the Giants and Angels the past three seasons. He owns a 4.77 ERA and hasn’t posted particularly strong peripherals, but Selman has handled left-handed batters well throughout his big league tenure. The A’s already have Adam Kolarek, Sam Moll, A.J. Puk and Kirby Snead as lefty bullpen options on the 40-man roster, but Selman will try to pitch his way back into that mix during his time with the Aviators.

Mets To Designate Jordan Yamamoto For Assignment

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The Mets have designated right-hander Jordan Yamamoto for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for left-hander Chasen Shreve, whose contract has been selected to the 40-man roster, per the team’s transaction log at MLB.com. Shreve told reporters earlier this week that he’d been informed he’s made the roster.

Yamamoto, 25, joined the Mets last offseason in a trade that sent minor league infielder Federico Polanco to the Marlins. He only made two appearances with the big league club and tallied only 32 2/3 minor league innings while battling a right shoulder injury. Originally drafted by the Brewers, Yamamoto was part of the Christian Yelich blockbuster with the Marlins and made his big league debut with the Fish in 2019, pitching to a solid 4.46 ERA with a 25.2% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate in 78 2/3 frames.

The shortened 2020 season was a nightmare for Yamamoto, as he surrendered 24 runs in just 10 2/3 innings. That ballooned his career ERA north of 6.00, but Yamamoto has generally been a solid pitcher in limited work outside that outlier season. He carries a career 3.79 ERA with a 25.3% strikeout rate, a 6.9% walk rate and a 44.6% ground-ball rate in 495 2/3 minor league innings as well.

Yamamoto does have a minor league option remaining, so it’s certainly possible that another club in need of some rotation depth will take a chance on a still-young righty who has had plenty of minor league success and also some success in the big leagues (2020 aside). The Mets will have a week to trade Yamamoto or attempt to pass him through outright waivers. If he clears waivers, they can assign him to Triple-A Syracuse to begin the season, and he’ll continue to serve as depth in the upper levels of their system. Given that Jacob deGrom is expected to miss months and the Mets’ rotation has several other injury risks and situations worth monitoring, that’d be a welcome bonus for the organization.

With deGrom slated to start the year on the injured list, it’s looking increasingly like young righty Tylor Megill will be tabbed as New York’s Opening Day starter (Twitter link via Mike Puma of the New York Post). Max Scherzer has been slowed a minor hamstring issue but is back on track and looks ticketed for the season’s second game. Taijuan Walker recently had what the team hopes to be a minor knee issue pop up in his final spring start. Carlos Carrasco is looking for a rebound after an injury-ruined 2021 season, and righty Chris Bassitt, acquired from the A’s over the winter, is expected to round out the Mets’ rotation to begin the season.

Mets Activate Brandon Nimmo From Injured List

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The Mets announced they’ve reinstated center fielder Brandon Nimmo from the 10-day injured list before this evening’s game against the Phillies. Reliever Jake Reed was optioned to Triple-A Syracuse in a corresponding move.

Nimmo returns after missing just under two weeks with a right hamstring strain. At the time he went down, the club was still above .500 and within three and a half games of the division-leading Braves. They’ve gone just 3-7 in the ten games since, falling five and a half back of Atlanta and five games behind the Cardinals in the Wild Card race. Their playoff odds, in FanGraphs’ estimation, have dipped from 10.2% to 1.9% in the process, as it’s probably too late for Nimmo to make a meaningful contribution in a postseason push.

The team’s disappointing season hasn’t been the fault of Nimmo, who has continued to excel when healthy. Always one of the game’s best at drawing walks and reaching base, the left-handed hitter owns a .302/.420/.415 line with five home runs over 320 plate appearances. Nimmo doesn’t hit for much power, but he’s one of just five hitters with 300+ plate appearances and an on-base percentage north of .400 (Juan Soto, Bryce Harper, Yasmani Grandal and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. being the others).

In an additional roster move, the Mets activated righty Jordan Yamamoto from the 60-day injured list and optioned him to Syracuse. Doing so required opening space on the 40-man roster, so New York recalled minor league lefty Thomas Szapucki and placed him on the major league 60-day IL. Szapucki, who is out for the year after undergoing ulnar nerve transposition surgery in mid-July, will receive big league pay and service time for the season’s final few weeks.

Mets Acquire Billy McKinney

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The Mets announced that they have acquired outfielder Billy McKinney from the Brewers for minor league left-hander Pedro Quintana. New York also transferred righty Jordan Yamamoto to the 60-day injured list.

McKinney will add some much-needed outfield depth to a Mets club dealing with a rash of injuries in that area (and just about everywhere else). Michael Conforto, Brandon Nimmo, Kevin Pillar and Albert Almora Jr. are all on the injured list, and Johneshwy Fargas is about to join them on the shelf. As a result of its injuries, the team went with a starting alignment of Dominic Smith in left, Cameron Maybin in center and Brandon Drury in right during its win over the Rockies on Tuesday.

The 26-year-old McKinney, whom the Brewers designated for assignment on May 22, comes with a fair amount of major league experience at both corner outfield spots. The former first-round pick (No. 24 to the Athletics in 2013) has seen time with the Yankees, Blue Jays and Brewers since he debuted in 2018, and he has hit .226/.285/.422 with 21 home runs in 511 plate appearances. He picked up 100 PA with Milwaukee this year but batted just .207/.260/.359 with three homers. McKinney has no minor league options left, so the Mets won’t be able to send him down without possibly losing him.

Quintana, still just 17 years old, joined the Mets in the winter as a free agent from Venezuela. There’s otherwise little information on Quintana that’s available, but the Brewers think he’s worth taking a chance on in exchange for an outfielder whom they deemed expendable.

Yamamoto went to the 10-day IL on the 23rd with shoulder soreness, and his shift to the 60-day version means he won’t return until at least the end of July. Acquired from the Marlins in the offseason, Yamamoto has made two appearances this year and allowed six runs (five earned) over 6 2/3 innings.

Mets Notes: Carrasco, Yamamoto, Pillar, Nimmo

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Carlos Carrasco is still weeks away at the minimum from returning to make his Mets’ debut, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). Jordan Yamamoto, one of the candidates to keep Carrasco’s rotation spot warm, left his start today with right shoulder soreness, per Healey. Today was just Yamamoto’s second appearance of the season and his first start. He took the loss surrendering five runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks with two strikeouts. The rotation is not the only area of concern for the first-place Mets, however…

  • Kevin Pillar underwent surgery to repair his broken nose on Friday, but he could be ready for baseball activities as early as next week, per Ken Davidoff of the New York Post. Pillar suffered a gruesome injury back on May 17th, taking a direct hit from a Jacob Webb fastball. The Mets centerfield depth chart has been decimated in the early going with Pillar, Brandon Nimmo, and Albert Almora landing on the injured list. Johneshwy Fargas has been the starter in center since Pillar went down, holding his own through 18 plate appearances thanks to three extra-base hits and solid glovework.
  • Nimmo, the opening day starter in center, remains out due to a frustrating finger injury that just won’t go away. “It’s been extremely frustrating, because obviously when it happened I thought this might be a few days,” said Nimmo, per Zach Braziller of the New York Post. A rehab assignment was shut down when pain returned, and Nimmo and the Mets continue to wait for the finger to be pain free before sending him out on another assignment.

Mets Designate Jake Hager

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The Mets designated outfielder Jake Hager for assignment, the team announced.  Right-hander Jordan Yamamoto was called up from Triple-A, and southpaw Stephen Tarpley was activated off the COVID-related injury list.

New York just selected Hager to the roster a week ago. The 28-year-old earned that promotion with a fantastic start to the year at Triple-A Syracuse, hitting .405/.436/.703 with three homers in 39 plate appearances. Hager only tallied eight plate appearances with the big league club this week, collecting one hit (a single). The Mets will have a week to trade him or expose him to outright waivers.

Yamamoto and Tarpley will add some depth to a New York pitching staff that went through seven relievers in last night’s 12-inning victory over the Marlins. Both hurlers have pitched in one game for the Mets this season.

Mets Select Tommy Hunter, Transfer Carlos Carrasco To 60-Day IL

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The Mets announced Thursday that they’ve selected right-hander Tommy Hunter’s contract from Triple-A Syracuse and opened a spot on the 40-man roster by moving Carlos Carrasco from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. Righty Jordan Yamamoto was optioned to Syracuse to open a spot on the 26-man roster.

Carrasco has yet to pitch for the Mets this season due to a hamstring strain. His move to the 60-day IL means he’ll need to spend a total of 60 days there — not 60 days starting today. Factoring in the month-plus he’s already spent on the IL, this is largely a procedural move, as he’s yet to even formally embark on a minor league rehab assignment. He’ll now be required to be shelved through most of this month, but assuming he’d need multiple rehab starts, he wouldn’t have been available until mid-month at the absolute earliest.

The 34-year-old Hunter opened the year in Syracuse after inking a minor league pact with the Mets. He’s no stranger to the NL East, having spent the past three seasons with the Phillies organization and pitching to a combined 3.64 ERA in 94 innings of work.

Hunter had a rocky run as a starter early in his career, but since moving to the bullpen on a full-time basis back in 2013, he’s been a consistently solid reliever. In 394 innings out of the bullpen since that time, he’s logged a 3.24 ERA while striking out 20.7 percent of opponents against a tiny 5.2 percent walk rate. He’ll give the Mets yet another experienced arm to add to a late-inning mix that includes veterans Edwin Diaz, Trevor May, Miguel Castro, Aaron Loup and Jeurys Familia.

Latest On Mets’ Rotation

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The Mets announced a few noteworthy roster moves Wednesday, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. New York cut right-handers Corey Oswalt and Jordan Yamamoto from major league camp, and the club reassigned infielder/outfielder Brandon Drury and catcher Bruce Maxwell.

With Oswalt and Yamamoto on their way down, the Mets appear as if they’ll begin 2021 with left-hander Joey Lucchesi as the fifth starter in their rotation, DiComo suggests. Acquired from the Padres in a three-team trade during the offseason, the 27-year-old Lucchesi combined for 56 starts in San Diego from 2018-19, during which he piled up 293 2/3 innings and recorded a respectable 4.14 ERA/4.10 SIERA with decent strikeout and walk percentages of 24.6 and 8.0, respectively.

Lucchesi wasn’t able to build on his early success last year, as he threw a mere 5 2/3 innings in three appearances in his final season with the Padres. However, he has logged superior results this spring with 8 1/3 innings of three-earned run ball and 11 strikeouts against three walks.

Lucchesi did not look likely to make the Mets’ rotation until righty Carlos Carrasco suffered a torn hamstring last week. Carrasco could be out until at least sometime in May, which will give Lucchesi time to sink or swim in the Mets’ starting staff. Barring any unexpected developments in the next week, he’ll join Jacob deGrom, Marcus Stroman, Taijuan Walker and David Peterson in New York’s top five when the season opens.

Mets Notes: Carrasco, Thor, Barnes, Lucchesi

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Right-hander Carlos Carrasco resumed throwing today, pitching one inning (about 20 pitches) in a simulated game setting, Mets skipper Luis Rojas tells reporters (Twitter link via Deesha Thosar of the New York Daily News). The Mets remain hopeful that Carrasco can be ready for the Opening Day roster, though that much can’t be known until they see how he feels after throwing this morning and until he builds up more in subsequent throwing sessions. The Mets paused Carrasco’s throwing work last week after he reported some discomfort in his right elbow, but his shutdown was rather brief, lasting just eight days.

Some more notes out of Port St. Lucie…

  • Noah Syndergaard threw off a mound this morning, with Mike Puma of the New York Post providing some video footage for interested Mets fans (Twitter link). Rojas tells reporters that Syndergaard, who is on the mend from 2020 Tommy John surgery, is not yet to 100 percent but nevertheless reached 96 mph with his fastball in this morning’s session (via MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo). The 28-year-old won’t be ready for the Opening Day roster, of course, but based on his current trajectory he could be back in the mix by early summer. He’ll be a free agent at season’s end.
  • Reliever Jacob Barnes is impressing Mets staffers thus far in Spring Training, writes Greg Joyce of the New York Post. Barnes, a 30-year-old right-hander who was claimed off waivers back in October, worked extensively with pitching coach Jeremy Hefner to deepen his understanding of the analytical side of pitching. “Up until this point, I didn’t really have that,” said Barnes of the data-focused approach taken by Hefner. “So I was just going out there just assuming what worked and didn’t. He pretty much gave me a blueprint of, ‘This fastball works really well here and here and the slider [there].'” Barnes is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to either make the Opening Day bullpen or else be designated for assignment.
  • Joey Lucchesi is another Mets newcomer impressing decision-makers, as Thosar explored last night. Rojas and others were pleased with yesterday’s start, as well as Lucchesi’s work in simulated games thus far in camp. He’s in the running for the fifth starter’s job, along with David Peterson and Jordan Yamamoto, both of whom have pitched well. Rojas notes that Lucchesi is stretched out and won’t be used in the bullpen for now, which suggests he’ll be optioned if he doesn’t break camp with a rotation gig. That’d be a disappointing outcome for Lucchesi himself, but the very presence of such a decision speaks to the improved pitching depth the Mets possess in 2021 — something they haven’t had as much of in recent seasons.
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