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Kelby Tomlinson

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/14/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball…

  • The Marlins acquired catcher/first baseman Lorenzo Quintana in a trade with the Astros.  The 32-year-old Quintana is a veteran of seven seasons in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, hitting an impressive .310/.377/.438 over 1636 plate appearances.  Quintana signed with the Astros in November 2017 and hit pretty well in his first three minor league seasons, including a .311/.372/.340 slash line in 113 plate appearances with Triple-A Sugar Land this season.  While his power dropoff is a concern, Quintana gives Miami another depth option in the minors, particularly at the catcher position.
  • The Cubs announced Sunday that right-hander Dakota Chalmers has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Double-A Tennessee.  Chalmers was claimed off waivers from the Twins earlier this month, and the Cubs can now keep a young arm in the organization without devoting him a 40-man roster spot.  Chalmers entered this season as the #24 prospect in the Minnesota system, per Baseball America, which praised his mid-90s velocity and high-spin curveball but questioned his strike-throwing ability.  Indeed, Chalmers has since walked an untenable 23.8% of opposing hitters at Double-A this year, so the Cubs player development staff will need to help him improve his control if he’s to make it to the big leagues.
  • Earlier this month, the Rockies signed infielder Kelby Tomlinson to a minors contract and released right-hander Ben Meyer.  Tomlinson appeared in 273 games with the Giants from 2015-18 (hitting .265/.331/.332 in 687 PA), primarily playing as a second baseman but also making appearances as a third baseman, shortstop, and left fielder.  Since his last big league game, Tomlinson has inked minor league deals with Diamondbacks, Mariners, and also the Rockies in a previous contract last season; Colorado released Tomlinson last June.  Meyer has been in Colorado’s organization for almost exactly two years, since the righty was let go by the Marlins.  A 29th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2015 draft, Meyer’s MLB resume consists of 19 innings and a 10.42 ERA with Miami in 2018.

Rockies Release Kelby Tomlinson

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The Rockies released infielder Kelby Tomlinson, reports MLBTR’s own Steve Adams. Tomlinson had signed with the team in January on a minor-league deal, but won’t be given the opportunity to continue his stint in Colorado.

With speculation about a possible Nolan Arenado trade running rampant at the time of his signing, Tomlinson might have seen a heightened role with the Rockies if Arenado were out of the picture, but with no such trade coming to fruition, the need for Tomlinson was limited. And with the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Josh Fuentes, Ryan McMahon, and others also in the picture, Tomlinson faced plenty of competition for playing time in the Colorado infield.

Tomlinson hasn’t appeared in regular-season action since 2018 when he was with the Giants. He played the entirety of last season at the Triple-A level in the Arizona and Seattle minor-league systems, posting an overall .602 OPS. In parts of four seasons with San Francisco, Tomlinson managed a .265/.331/.332 batting line.

Though he provides little in the way of power, Tomlinson could be a depth option for a club in need of reserve infielders. The 30-year-old can play shortstop, second base, and third base, and could be worth a spot on a team’s 60-player pool.

Rockies Sign Kelby Tomlinson

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The Rockies have agreed to a minor league contract with infielder Kelby Tomlinson, Thomas Harding of MLB.com tweets.

The 29-year-old Tomlinson is best known for his run as part of the division-rival Giants, who selected him in the 12th round of the 2011 draft and with whom he played in the majors from 2015-18. Tomlinson hit .265/.331/.332 across that 687-plate appearance span, but he totaled a meager three home runs at the same time.

Aside from the Giants, Tomlinson has spent time with the Mariners and the Diamondbacks (yet another NL West team). So far, Tomlinson has batted .279/.343/.329 with a pair of homers over 1,056 trips to the plate. He hasn’t played in the majors since 2018, but perhaps a trade involving all-world third baseman Nolan Arenado – which seems like an actual possibility – would help him return to the sport’s top level.

Mariners Sign Kelby Tomlinson, Jaycob Brugman

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The Mariners have signed infielder Kelby Tomlinson and outfielder Jaycob Brugman to minor league contracts, per Roster Roundup.

The 28-year-old Tomlinson is best known for a long run with San Francisco, which selected him in the 12th round of the 2011 draft. Tomlinson stayed with the organization through last season, the fourth straight year in which he logged major league action. The righty-hitting Tomlinson was an offensive bright spot as a part-time player with the Giants from 2015-16, but his numbers cratered thereafter. Tomlinson ended his Giants tenure with a .265/.331/.332 line (84 wRC+), three home runs and 19 steals over 687 plate appearances.

San Francisco outrighted Tomlinson after last season, leading to a minor league opportunity with the division-rival Diamondbacks. However, Tomlinson opened 2019 by hitting an unappealing .218/.320/.276 with no HRs across 100 PA with Arizona’s Triple-A club. As a result, the D-backs released him May 12.

Brugman, 27, has spent most of the season on the minor league injured list with the Orioles, who released him last week after he came off the IL. He had been with the O’s since they acquired him from the Athletics for right-hander Jake Bray in November 2017 . Brugman’s only major league experience came in ’17 as a member of the A’s, with whom the left-hander hit a respectable .266/.346/.343 (90 wRC+) and totaled three home runs in 162 attempts. Otherwise, Brugman has mostly played at Triple-A over the past few seasons. He carries a .276/.342/.403 slash with 14 homers in 856 PA at the minors’ top level.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/12/19

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Keeping up with this weekend’s minor moves…

Latest transactions:

  • The Pirates outrighted left-hander Tyler Lyons to Triple-A Indianapolis, as per MLB.com’s official transactions page.  Lyons cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  This is the second time in as many seasons that Lyons has been outrighted, as he was also removed from the Cardinals’ 40-man roster last August in the midst of an injury-plagued year that saw Lyons post an 8.64 ERA over 16 2/3 frames for St. Louis.  After signing a minors deal with Pittsburgh over the winter, Lyons didn’t turn things around in a brief stint for the Bucs, with an 11.25 ERA over four Major League innings.  The southpaw did perform better in Triple-A, however, and will head back to the farm to try and recapture the form that made him a solid-to-very good bullpen piece for the Cardinals from 2013-17.

Earlier today:

  • The Tigers outrighted right-hander Drew VerHagen to Triple-A Toledo on Saturday after he cleared waivers, per a team announcement. Because VerHagen has been outrighted in the past, he could have declined the assignment. He chose to accept it, however, Evan Woodbery of MLive.com reports. Detroit kicked VerHagen off its 40-man roster again last weekend when it designated him for assignment after a calamitous performance versus Kansas City. The Royals pounded VerHagen for six earned runs on five hits and three walks in one inning, contributing to the 28-year-old’s hefty 15.00 ERA across six frames this season. VerHagen entered the year with a sub-5.00 ERA/FIP across 141 major league innings, though, and has been a useful arm at the Triple-A level.
  • The Diamondbacks have released infielder Kelby Tomlinson from his minor-league deal, reports MLBTR’s own Steve Adams. After signing with the D-Backs last offseason, Tomlinson has posted just a .596 OPS at the Triple-A level in 2019, failing to crack the big league roster, which would have earned him a $850K salary. In a Major League career spanning parts of four seasons, the 29-year-old owns a career .265/.331/.332 slash line to go with 19 stolen bases. Though the numbers are not especially impressive, Tomlinson is capable of handling three infield positions and played sparingly in left field with the Giants.

Diamondbacks To Sign Kelby Tomlinson

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The Diamondbacks have agreed to a deal with free-agent utilityman Kelby Tomlinson, per Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com (Twitter links). He’ll receive a minor-league pact with a camp invite and potential $850K salary in the big leagues.

Tomlinson, 28, has seen his offensive production lag over the past several seasons following a promising start to his career. Over 374 trips to the plate since the start of 2017, he’s hitting just .237/.305/.293 with one home run and nine stolen bases.

As the Giants prepared for another winter of uncertainty, they recently dropped the out-of-options Tomlinson from their 40-man roster, making him eligible for minor-league free agency. If he proves worthy of another MLB chance with the Snakes, he could offer his new organization quite a bit of versatility. Over his time in the majors, Tomlinson has logged innings at second, short, and third while also lining up a few times in the outfield.

Giants Outright Five Players

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The Giants have outrighted five players off of their 40-man roster, the club announced and Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to cover (Twitter links). The moves opened space for a handful of players to be moved back onto the roster from the 60-day DL.

Four of the players to be bumped — infielder Chase d’Arnaud, righty Casey Kelly, utilityman Kelby Tomlinson, and infielder Miguel Gomez — are now free agents. The former two had the right to reject an assignment, while the latter pair became eligible for minor-league free agency upon departing the MLB roster.

A fifth player, right-hander Tyler Herb, was also outrighted. In his case, though, he’ll remain in the San Francisco organization. He has been assigned to Triple-A Sacramento, which is where he spent most of the 2018 campaign.

Tomlinson, 28, had the lengthiest and most notable tenure with the Giants of the players outrighted today. He never quite matched his promising debut effort, however, ending his time in San Francisco with a .265/.331/.332 slash line over 687 plate appearances.

As for d’Arnaud, a light-hitting journeyman infielder, he’ll look for another opportunity to function as a depth piece. The 29-year-old Kelly, once a prospect of some note, allowed just eight earned runs in his 23 2/3 innings with the Giants but surrendered a 4.76 ERA over 24 Triple-A starts. Gomez has received scant MLB opportunity. He played mostly at the two highest levels of the minors in 2018, drawing just nine walks in 437 plate appearances while posting a .291/.304/.418 slash line.

Latest On Giants’ Roster Outlook

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The Giants activated Joe Panik from the DL yesterday, as Henry Schulman reports in his latest piece for the San Francisco Chronicle. That’s not even the most interesting news, however, as Schulman also reveals a flurry of insight into the clubs plans for utilizing their other players in the near future.

Perhaps chief among these tidbits is the confirmation that veteran Hunter Pence will play in a backup role when he returns from the disabled list, where he’s been shelved with a sprained thumb since mid-April. Skipper Bruce Bochy couldn’t have been more direct, making it clear that Mac Williamson is the club’s primary left fielder while stating that he’d like to get Pence in later in games, “like I would with a fourth outfielder.”

Although Bochy’s plans are hardly surprising considering how much injuries and the aging curve have slowed Pence’s production across the past few seasons, it’s surely disappointing news for the three-time All-Star. Pence was once one of the great players in the game, ranking 33rd in fWAR from 2008-2014 with at least 20 homers in every one of those seasons. This year, however, Pence kicked off the season by hitting .172/.197/.190 with just one extra base hit an alarming 22 strikeouts in 61 plate appearances. He’s in the final year of his five-year, $90MM contract and thus will reach free agency at season’s end.

The oddest thing to come out of Schulman’s piece is the news that Pablo Sandoval is taking ground balls at shortstop. “He’s got good hands and a good first step,” said Bochy. When the club activated Panik, they optioned Kelby Tomlinson to the minors in a related move, leaving Sandoval as the only reserve infielder on the major league roster. That’ll change soon when Alen Hanson returns from his hamstring injury (Schulman notes that this will probably happen early next week), but for the time being it would seem as though the club is prepared to turn to Sandoval as its emergency shortstop in the event that Brandon Crawford has to come out of a game for any reason.

At least one more move is coming, as Madison Bumgarner is slated to make his season debut against the Diamondbacks on Tuesday.

Giants Notes: Shaw, Cueto, Tomlinson, Hwang

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The Giants have promoted 2015 first-round pick Chris Shaw from Double-A to Triple-A, and as Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area writes, the former first baseman will continue his work in left field following the latest promotion. Giants GM Bobby Evans spoke to reporters about Shaw’s impressive run in Double-A (.301/.390/.511, six homers, 10 doubles) and stated that Shaw was simply “ready for the next challenge.” Pavlovic notes that although Shaw is the more highly regarded prospect, fellow minor league outfielder Austin Slater is probably ahead of him in the pecking order when it comes to a potential MLB promotion. Shaw doesn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster this year in order to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft, but Slater, who is hitting .313/.376/.435 in 40 Triple-A games, does. As for Shaw’s ability to handle the outfield despite his considerable 6’4″, 235-pound frame, Evans noted that Shaw played nearly 100 games in the outfield in college and added that the team wants to see if he can get comfortable in left field. That, of course, is perhaps the Giants’ greatest position of need at the Major League level, and Shaw is blocked at first base by Brandon Belt.

More on the Giants…

  • Right-hander Johnny Cueto was hit hard again in yesterday’s start, and he revealed after the game that he’s been pitching through a pair of blisters on his right hand, writes MLB.com’s Chris Haft. Cueto has one blister on his index finger and another on his middle finger, though he wouldn’t point to that issue as the source of his 2017 struggles. “I’m getting hit,” Cueto said bluntly, noting that the blisters are “not an excuse.” To this point there’s been no talk of a quick stint on the 10-day DL for Cueto to allow his fingers to heal up, though other pitchers around the league (e.g. Rich Hill, Aaron Sanchez) have required multiple absences due to blister troubles.
  • Andrew Baggarly of the San Jose Mercury News writes that the Giants are giving Kelby Tomlinson continued work in center field with their Triple-A affiliate as hope that he can emerge as a center field alternative on the big league roster. Presently, Gorkys Hernandez and Justin Ruggiano are the team’s only other options beyond starter Denard Span, but neither has provided much in the way of offense. Ruggiano has displayed some pop but is hitting .244/.273/.415, while Hernandez has posted a woeful .160/.248/.213 batting line through 106 plate appearances.
  • Baggarly also notes that Korean star Jae-gyun Hwang is hitting fairly well in Triple-A and is likely to receive a call-up before the July 1 opt-out provision in his contract. Both Evans and manager Bruce Bochy have suggested that they hope to see what they have in Hwang eventually, per Baggarly. Hwang has hit for a respectable average and displayed some power thus far while seeing time at both infield corners and in left field. However, his 32-to-5 K/BB ratio suggests that his approach still needs some refinement. Through 168 plate appearances, he’s hitting .280/.298/.435 with three homers, 12 doubles and a pair of triples.
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