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Luke Weaver

Mariners Claim Luke Weaver, Designate Derek Hill

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The Mariners announced that they have claimed right-hander Luke Weaver off waivers from the Royals. Outfielder Derek Hill was designated for assignment in a corresponding move.

Weaver, 29, was a highly-touted prospect as he made his way through the system of the Cardinals, who drafted him in 2014. He showed some potential in his first tastes of the big leagues and eventually became a key piece of the trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt from Arizona to St. Louis. Weaver made 12 good starts in the desert in 2019 but has since been held back by injuries and underperformance.

He was able to make 12 starts in the shortened 2020 season but put up an ERA of 6.58 that year. He was better in 2021 but a shoulder injury limited him to just 13 starts over that full season. This year, the D-Backs tried moving him to the bullpen, which didn’t really work. He registered a 7.71 ERA before getting flipped to the Royals at the deadline. He was slightly better in KC, but still had a 5.59 ERA after the deal.

There wasn’t any public indication the Royals had placed Weaver on waivers, though it appears they had been quietly performing some roster maintenance. Many teams are facing roster crunches soon, as there’s no injured list between the World Series and Spring Training. Since most teams have at least a few players on the 60-day IL, those players will soon have to retake roster spots or else be cut. Weaver is arbitration-eligible and has been projected for a salary of $3MM by MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. Instead, it seems the Royals have cut him loose and will use his roster spot for other players.

For the Mariners, they are evidently more enamored of Weaver than the Royals. It’s not outlandish to think that Weaver could find better results than what he saw in 2022. His .429 batting average on balls in play and 58.6% strand rate are both much worse than league averages. As such, all advanced metrics thought him deserving of much better than his 6.56 combined ERA between the D-Backs and Royals. Weaver’s 3.64 SIERA, 2.69 FIP and 3.82 xFIP all suggest he was better than he might have seemed, though xERA is a bit more skeptical with a 5.45.

In order to take a chance on Weaver, the M’s are risking losing Hill. The 26-year-old was just claimed off waivers from the Tigers in August, having served as a depth piece for both clubs. However, he is now out of options and unable to be easily sent down to the farm going forward. He got into 31 MLB games this year, all with Detroit, and hit .229/.270/.289 for a wRC+ of 60. In 68 minor league games, he slashed .220/.294/.386, 73 wRC+. Despite that tepid offensive output, Hill might find interest from other clubs given his speed and defensive skills. If he clears waivers, he would be eligible to elect free agency based on having spent parts of seven seasons in the minors.

D-Backs, Royals To Swap Luke Weaver For Emmanuel Rivera

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The Royals and Diamondbacks are nearing agreement on a deal that’ll send right-hander Luke Weaver to Kansas City for infielder Emmanuel Rivera, reports John Gambadoro of 98.7FM radio in Phoenix (Twitter link).

Weaver was once a high-profile acquisition of the Diamondbacks, coming over as part of the package they received for sending superstar Paul Goldschmidt to the Cardinals. After the first 12 starts he made for Arizona, it seemed like they had a rotation stalwart on their hands. Weaver put up a 2.94 ERA in 2019 with a 40.7% ground ball rate, 26.5% strikeout rate and 5.4% walk rate. Unfortunately, a forearm strain ended his season early and he hasn’t been quite the same since.

Weaver was healthy for the shortened 2020 campaign, making 12 starts and throwing 52 innings but putting up an ERA of 6.58 in that time. He was better in 2021, getting his ERA down to 4.25, but was limited to just 13 starts by a shoulder injury. Coming into this season, the D-Backs moved him to the bullpen, which has led to results both encouraging and discouraging. His 7.71 ERA is certainly unappealing, though there are reasons to believe that isn’t a true reflection of his work. His 24.1% strikeout rate and 6.2% walk rate are both better than league average, and he’s also allowing just 7.7% of his fly balls to leave the yard. What seems to be hurting his ERA is an unsustainable .434 batting average on balls in play and a 55.9% strand rate.

Still, this is a sample of just 16 1/3 innings after multiple seasons of disappointing results. The Royals won’t have a ton of time to get Weaver back on track, as he is set to reach free agency after the 2023 campaign. He’s making a salary of $2.875MM this year and is eligible for another pass through arbitration next year.

In exchange for Weaver, the Diamondbacks are getting Rivera, 26, a corner infielder who hasn’t hit much in the majors but has shown plenty of promise in the minors. Since making his MLB debut last year, he’s gotten into 92 games and hit .243/.294/.378 for a wRC+ of 87. However, in 63 Triple-A games last year, he hit .286/.348/.592 for a wRC+ of 144. In 20 games there this year, his line is .307/.388/.520, 142 wRC+.

Rivera is primarily a third baseman and would likely slot behind Josh Rojas on Arizona’s depth chart, though Rojas is capable of moving to other spots on the field if they really want to give Rivera a shot. Rivera’s also played some first base and could perhaps see some time there if the D-Backs pull the trigger on a Christian Walker trade, as they have reportedly considered. However he’s deployed, Rivera comes with an extended window of control, having come into this season with less than a year of MLB service time. He also can be optioned for the remainder of this year as well as another season, potentially delaying his free agency and arbitration.

For the Royals, they likely felt Rivera was squeezed out due to their crowded corner infield mix, with Nicky Lopez getting a lot of playing time at third, while Vinnie Pasquantino, Nick Pratto and Hunter Dozier are also around for first base or corner outfield duty. The designated hitter slot is also a little busy between that group and the catching duo of Salvador Perez and MJ Melendez. They’ve used that surplus of corner infield bats to add an intriguing arm, while the Diamondbacks have taken a pitcher they couldn’t get good results out of and turned him into a controllable infield depth option.

Diamondbacks Designate Drew Ellis For Assignment

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The Diamondbacks announced a series of roster moves today, with right-hander Luke Weaver being activated from the 60-day injured list. To create space for Weaver on the active roster, right-hander Edwin Uceta was optioned to Triple-A. To open a spot on the 40-man roster, infielder Drew Ellis was designated for assignment.

Acquired from the Cardinals in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, Weaver had an excellent start to his Diamondbacks tenure, although it was limited by a forearm strain. In 12 starts that year, he put up a 2.94 ERA in 64 1/3 innings. But over the subsequent two seasons, injuries and underperformance dimmed his outlook. In April, manager Terry Lovullo announced that the club planned to use Weaver out of the bullpen to start the year. Regardless, Weaver landed on the IL with elbow inflammation after throwing just 2/3 of an inning, only now making his way back to the majors. It’s possible that Weaver could get back into the rotation soon, as his last rehab outing was a four-inning start where he threw 60 pitches. Caleb Smith took Weaver’s rotation spot at the start of the year but was himself bumped into the bullpen after just one start. Humberto Castellanos took over a rotation spot in April but landed on the IL recently.

As for Ellis, 26, he was a second round pick of the D-Backs in 2017. He had his contract selected in July of last year and made his major league debut. In 34 MLB games so far, he has a tepid batting line of .134/.268/.207, 37 wRC+. He has an incredible 18.4% walk rate in 42 Triple-A games this year, helping him produce a line of .217/.369/.399, 100 wRC+. Ellis has garnered praise from prospect evaluators for his defense, where he’s capable of playing first, second or third base. Given that versatility and patient approach at the plate, he could be of interest to other clubs, especially since he still has options and can be stashed in the minors. Arizona will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers.

Diamondbacks Transfer Luke Weaver To 60-Day Injured List, Reinstate Kyle Nelson, Option Tyler Holton

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The Diamondbacks made a number of roster moves today. They reinstated southpaw Kyle Nelson from the injured list, optioned Tyler Holton to Triple-A, and transferred Luke Weaver to the 60-day injured list, per the team.

Weaver faced just five batters this year before hitting yet another injury roadblock. He worked through blister issues in the spring, returning to find a spot on the active roster. But after just two thirds of an inning in relief, he was placed on the 10-day injured list with right elbow inflammation. At this stage, the change in designation means Weaver won’t be able to return before June 7, though his long-term outlook remains unclear at this point.

Nelson, meanwhile, returns from the COVID injured list. The 25-year-old has a 1.23 ERA/1.57 FIP in 15 appearances covering 14 2/3 innings so far this season. Nelson was selected off waivers from the Guardians this past November. The former 15th-round pick had made just 11 career appearances for the Guardians without much success, yielding 14 earned runs in just 10 1/3 innings. Needless to say, Nelson is off to a better start in Arizona.

As for Holton, the 25-year-old southpaw made two appearances, tossing three scoreless innings for the Snakes. He’ll head back to Triple-A for now, where he owns a 5.65 ERA over 14 1/3 innings of work.

Diamondbacks Place Luke Weaver On 10-Day IL

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The Diamondbacks announced that right-hander Luke Weaver has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to right elbow inflammation.  The placement is retroactive to April 8.  Left-hander Kyle Nelson has been called up from Triple-A to take Weaver’s spot on the active roster.  In other moves, the D’Backs outrighted southpaw Caleb Baragar and righty Humberto Mejia to Triple-A, as both of the recently-designated pitchers cleared waivers.

Weaver tossed two-thirds of an inning of relief work in Thursday’s 4-2 Arizona win over the Padres, allowing a run on three hits.  An elbow issue could be the reason behind that shaky outing, though Weaver was also dealing with a blister problem during the end of Spring Training.  Weaver worked exclusively as a starter in 2019-21, but the D’Backs are using him as a reliever in the early going of the season, so this IL stint could delay any eventual return to the rotation.

Nelson will now step into Arizona’s bullpen, and the southpaw’s first appearance will mark his Diamondbacks debut.  Nelson has pitched in each of the last two seasons, with only a 12.19 ERA to show for 10 1/3 innings in The Show.  The D’Backs claimed Nelson off waivers from the Guardians in November, after Nelson had spent all five of his professional seasons in Cleveland’s organization.

D-backs Set Rotation; Luke Weaver To Pitch Out Of Bullpen

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The Diamondbacks are moving right-handed starter Luke Weaver to a bullpen role to begin the season and will open the year with lefty Caleb Smith in the rotation in his place, manager Torey Lovullo announced to reporters Tuesday (Twitter links via Steve Gilbert of MLB.com and Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). Arizona’s rotation to begin the season will be Madison Bumgarner, Merrill Kelly, Zach Davies, Smith and Zac Gallen.

Weaver, 28, has been used exclusively out of the rotation since coming over from the Cardinals alongside Carson Kelly, Andy Young and a Competitive Balance Draft selection in the trade that sent Paul Goldschmidt to St. Louis. As was the case in his short time with the Cardinals, who originally drafted him with the 27th overall pick back in 2014, Weaver has at times looked like a quality big league rotation piece but has struggled to stay healthy.

The only season in which Weaver has managed a full workload for the Diamondbacks was the shortened 2020 campaign, when he was rocked for an uncharacteristic 6.58 ERA in 52 innings over the life of 12 starts. Weaver posted a 2.94 ERA with brilliant strikeout and walk rates through a dozen starts in 2019, his first year with the Snakes, but also spent the bulk of the season on the injured list due to a forearm strain. In 2021, he turned in a solid 4.25 ERA with slightly worse (but still solid) strikeout and walk rates. A shoulder strain, however, kept him out from mid-May until September 1.

It’s of course possible that it’ll prove to be a short-term move to the bullpen for Weaver, but it’ll also be interesting to see whether a move to shorter stints will help him to remain healthy. Weaver’s fastball sat at an average of 93.7 mph last year while working as a starter, and it’s common for pitchers to see their velocity tick upward when moving to a relief role. Weaver also has fairly extreme splits when facing lineups for the second and third time in a game. When facing the lineup the first time through, he’s held opponents to a rather tepid .241/.297/.393 output.

As for the 30-year-old Smith, he’s no stranger to a rotation role. He pitched exclusively as a starter with the Marlins in 2018-19 and made 13 starts for Arizona last year, though the D-backs deployed him more heavily out of the bullpen in 2021. Smith has had more success pitching in relief in his career, with superior marks in ERA (3.45 to 4.90), walk rate (9.8% to 11.3%) and home run rate (1.15 per nine to 1.79 per nine) relative to his work as a starter. That said, Smith did pitch to a 4.41 ERA with a 26.3% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate in 230 2/3 innings as a member of the Marlins’ rotation in 2018-19.

Both Smith and Weaver have four-plus years of Major League service time and are thus controlled through the 2023 season. Given their relatively short amount of remaining club control, there could be trade speculation surrounding both this summer as the trade deadline approaches. However, Arizona recently extended two of its most popular trade candidates — Ketel Marte, Merrill Kelly — continuing to make an effort to put a competitive roster on the field as they await a wave of high-end prospects who are on the cusp of MLB readiness.

NL West Notes: Weaver, Mets, Roberts, Dodgers, Giants, La Stella

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The Mets “have done some background work on” Diamondbacks righty Luke Weaver as New York continues to explore trade possibilities, SNY’s Andy Martino reports (via Twitter).  A right shoulder strain limited Weaver to only 65 2/3 innings last season, giving him two injury-plagued seasons sandwiched around a dismal 2020 campaign that saw him post a 6.58 ERA.  Despite these recent issues, Weaver is still controlled via arbitration for the next two seasons (projected for $2.7MM in 2022) and has shown some signs of quality throughout his career in Arizona and St. Louis, so the D’Backs might still want to see if Weaver can get healthy and be an inexpensive rebound candidate at the back of their rotation.

For the Mets, Max Scherzer, Jacob deGrom, Taijuan Walker and Carlos Carrasco are penciled into the top four rotation spots, and Tylor Megill and David Peterson are the favorites for the fifth starter’s role.  Weaver brings his own set of question marks, but he would add depth to a group that also has plenty of injury concerns.  Given how aggressive the Mets will likely continue to be in their offseason endeavors, New York is likely to check in on just about any pitching option available, whether a bigger name in free agency or on the trade market, or perhaps a more modest acquisition like Weaver.

More from around the NL West…

  • Dave Roberts and the Dodgers are “really close” on a contract extension, the manager told reporters (including The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya) today.  Reports surfaced last month that the team was looking into a new deal for the World Series-winning skipper, as Roberts is entering the last year of his current contract.
  • Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi told reporters (including The San Francisco Chronicle’s Susan Slusser) that his team was still looking to add some hitting, yet even though the Giants lineup is short on right-handed bats, Zaidi said that they are looking at options on both sides of the plate.  “I don’t think we’re going to be totally fixated on that side.  If there’s a left-handed bat that makes sense for us, I think we can find a way to fit that as well,” Zaidi said.  “We obviously love versatility.  Handedness isn’t as critical.”
  • Also from Zaidi, he said that Tommy La Stella’s recovery from left Achilles surgery is coming along well, though the infielder will be a little behind during the Giants’ Spring Training camp.  La Stella underwent the surgery at the end of October and had a rough timeline of four months, so it isn’t surprising that La Stella isn’t quite yet fully ready.  There doesn’t yet seem to be concern, however, that La Stella might miss any time at the start of the season.  La Stella battled several injuries during his first season in San Francisco, likely contributing to his underwhelming .250/.308/.405 slash line over 242 plate appearances.  Due to the backloaded nature of his three-year, $18.75MM free agent contract, La Stella is still owed $16.75MM over the final two seasons of that deal.

Every Team’s Initial September Callups

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The limit on active roster players expanded from 26 to 28 today, as the calendar flipped to September. Every team announced at least two additions to the big league club (some teams made three or more due to injured list placements). Here’s a recap of today’s spate of transactions:

Diamondbacks Move Luke Weaver To 60-Day IL, Select Ryan Buchter

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The Diamondbacks have transferred right-hander Luke Weaver to the 60-day injured list, selected lefty Ryan Buchter and optioned righty Corbin Martin, per a team announcement.

Weaver landed on the 10-day IL with a strained shoulder on May 18, at which point he seemed optimistic he wouldn’t miss a significant amount of time. However, he will indeed be out for the foreseeable future, as the move to the 60-day IL means Weaver won’t come back until at least the second half of July.

This injury is yet another worrying setback for Weaver, who missed a large portion of 2019 with forearm and UCL injuries. Weaver appeared to be coming into his own that year, his first with the Diamondbacks after they acquired him from the Cardinals in the Paul Goldschmidt trade, but he hasn’t returned to form since. Weaver threw 52 innings of 6.58 ERA/4.52 SIERA ball last year, though he has logged a better 4.50 ERA/4.18 SIERA in 40 frames this season. The 27-year-old was also rather effective in his two most recent starts, in which he combined for 10 1/3 scoreless innings and gave up five hits with nine strikeouts against two walks, but it will be quite some time before he’s able to build on that.

Buchter, 34, inked a minor league pact with the Diamondbacks last winter after throwing a meager six innings as an Angel a season ago. Historically, Buchter has been a more-than-capable reliever with a few teams in the majors, where he has logged a 2.90 ERA with a 26.8 percent strikeout rate and an 11.2 percent walk rate over 220 frames. Buchter’s fielding-independent marks haven’t been as promising, yet he has still found a way to limit left-handed hitters to a .189/.269/.351 line and hold righties to a .209/.317/.378 mark.

D-backs To Promote Corbin Martin, Place Luke Weaver On Injured List

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The Diamondbacks will place right-hander Luke Weaver on the 10-day injured list following his recent shoulder discomfort and call up right-hander Corbin Martin to make his team debut in one of the remaining games of this four-game set against the Dodgers, John Gambadoro of Arizona Sports 98.7 FM reports (via Twitter).

Weaver, 27, exited his most recent outing with shoulder discomfort but expressed optimism after the fact that he could remedy the issue with a change to his mechanics. At the time the righty was optimistic that he’d avoid the injured list, but Gambadoro indicates that Weaver won’t make his scheduled start against the Rockies on Friday and is indeed IL-bound.

Acquired from the Cardinals as part of the Paul Goldschmidt trade, Weaver had an up-and-down season so far, sandwiching four ineffective starts between four pretty strong outings — two on either end of that rough stretch. Overall, the former first-rounder has a 4.50 ERA through 40 innings with a slightly below-average 22.8 percent strikeout rate but a better-than-average 7.8 percent walk rate. He’ll join Zac Gallen and Taylor Widener on an increasingly crowded D-backs injured list that also currently holds position players Ketel Marte, Asdrubal Cabrera, Christian Walker, Carson Kelly and Kole Calhoun.

Turning to the 25-year-old Martin, his promotion is of plenty note for the D-backs, who thought highly enough of the 2017 second-rounder to make him one of the key pieces they received from the Astros in return for Zack Greinke. Martin was on the injured list at the time, having undergone Tommy John surgery earlier in the 2019 season, but he entered that year regarded as one of the game’s 100 best prospects, ranking 78th at Baseball America and 81st at MLB.com. Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs currently ranks Martin as the D-backs’ No. 6 prospect and the No. 114 prospect in baseball.

Martin did get his feet wet with the ’Stros before falling to that UCL injury, albeit in a small sample of 19 2/3 innings. He was roughed up for 14 runs in that time (two unearned), but his prospect pedigree and excellent minor league track record give plenty of hope that he can eventually be a big piece of the Arizona staff. He’s tossed 9 2/3 innings in Triple-A Reno this year and yielded only two runs with a 14-to-6 K/BB ratio.

The 2019 injury, the canceled 2020 minor league season and the delayed 2021 minor league campaign have all combined to limit Martin to a total of 201 2/3 innings in the minors, but he’s excelled at every level. The righty carries a career 2.54 ERA, a strong 27.8 percent strikeout rate, an 8.4 percent walk rate and a hearty 53.2 percent grounder rate in that time. He’s been as effective in Triple-A as he was in Double-A, logging a 2.87 ERA with 59 punchouts in 47 innings, although his 24 walks at that level are a bit more troubling. That’s the only level at which Martin has struggled with free passes, though, and scouting reports generally give him credit for average or above-average command.

Given last year’s lack of innings and the fact that he’s working back from major elbow surgery, Martin will probably see his workload managed rather judiciously in 2021. Still, his promotion gives the D-backs and their fans a first glimpse at a pitcher the club hopes can be a prominent contributor to the starting staff for the foreseeable future. If he sticks on the MLB roster this year, the D-backs would control him all the way through the 2025 season, but future optional assignments could push his free agency back even further.

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