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Mark Leiter Jr.

Blue Jays Acquire Jason Adam; Devon Travis, Mark Leiter Jr. Undergo Surgery

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The Blue Jays have acquired right-hander Jason Adam from the Royals for cash considerations, Scott Mitchell of TSN reports. Additionally, the Blue Jays announced notable injury news regarding second baseman Devon Travis and right-hander Mark Leiter Jr., Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. Travis underwent arthroscopic surgery “to address a small meniscus tear in his left knee” and will be reassessed in four to six weeks, while Leiter will miss the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery.

Adam, a Kansas native, is leaving the Royals via trade for the second time since they selected him in the fifth round of the 2010 draft. They previously dealt Adam to the Twins in 2014 for slugger Josh Willingham, only to bring him back on a minor league contract in 2017 following a stint with the Padres. After overcoming multiple serious injuries to his arm, as ESPN’s Keith Law explained last May, Adam made his major league debut in 2018 and recorded a subpar 6.12 ERA/6.16 FIP over 32 1/3 innings and 31 appearances. At the same time, though, the 27-year-old did manage playable strikeout and walk numbers (10.3 K/9, 4.18 BB/9).

As is the case with Adam, injuries have been a major problem during Travis’ pro career. Left knee inflammation sidelined the 28-year-old for a couple weeks before he underwent surgery, making it the latest lower body issue for a player who hasn’t appeared in more than 103 games in a major league season since debuting in 2015. Notably, Travis totaled just 50 appearances in 2017 on account of right knee surgery. He didn’t perform well last year in a 378-plate appearance return, over which he hit just .232/.275/.381 (77 wRC+). As a result, the Jays weren’t guaranteeing a starting job to Travis entering camp. It’s a moot point now, though, as Lourdes Gurriel Jr., Freddy Galvis and Richard Urena appear likely to open the season as the Jays’ top middle infield options.

Leiter, 28, joined Toronto last September via waivers from the Phillies, but the Blue Jays ended up designating him for assignment and then outrighting him over the winter. While Leiter garnered extensive experience with the Phillies in 2017, when he amassed 90 2/3 innings and put up a 4.96 ERA/5.14 FIP, a flexor strain helped limit him to just 51 2/3 frames between the majors and minors last year. In 23 1/3 innings divided between Philly and Toronto, he only managed a 7.71 ERA/6.98 FIP.

Blue Jays Claim Oliver Drake, Designate Mark Leiter Jr.

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The Blue Jays announced tonight that they have claimed righty Oliver Drake off waivers from the Rays. To open a 40-man spot, the Toronto club designated fellow right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. for assignment.

This move continues a seemingly never-ending tour of the majors for Drake, a 31-year-old hurler with intriguing stuff who has seen many a 40-man roster but rarely stays in the same place for long. Since the start of the 2017 campaign, he has appeared with the Orioles, Brewers, Indians, Angels, Twins, and Blue Jays.

Indeed, Drake set a record last year by appearing with five teams. That did not include the Rays, who claimed him after the season concluded. This will be Drake’s second stop in Toronto; he stopped in for two appearances last season. Of course, it would hardly be surprising if Drake ends up being bumped from the Jays’ 40-man once again over the offseason.

So, what’s the fascination here? Drake has only a 4.50 career ERA through 137 1/3 innings. But he owns a 12.6% swinging-strike rate in the big leagues and has generally turned in much more promising peripherals. Last year, for example, he carried 9.6 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9 with a 44.9% groundball rate through 47 2/3 frames — though a .353 BABIP and 63.7% strand rate left him with a 5.29 ERA.

As for the 27-year-old Leiter, he has found success at times in the upper minors but struggled to transition to the major-league mound. He has thrown 114 frames of 5.53 ERA ball in the bigs, due in no small part to allowing home runs at a clip of 1.97 per nine innings. Leiter, too, has been better in the eyes of ERA estimators that presume the dingers are in part a reflection of poor fortune, as he owns a 4.37 xFIP and 4.23 SIERA in the majors. Teams in search of rotation depth will surely have interest.

Blue Jays Claim Mark Leiter Jr.

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The Blue Jays and Phillies have both announced that Toronto claimed right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. off waivers from Philadelphia. Leiter Jr. had been designated for assignment earlier in the week.

Leiter Jr. got his first taste of major-league action with the Phillies last season, tossing 90 2/3 innings in The Show. His initial performance was somewhat encouraging, as he posted a 3.88 ERA with a 7.89 K/9 figure through August. That showing was largely discredited by a 4.79 FIP, though, and come September the wheels fell off entirely. During a catastrophic final month of the year, Leiter Jr. allowed 22 earned runs in 25 2/3 innings, which included eight homers hit off the right-hander.

This season has been, in some ways, even worse for the 27-year-old. While his 5.40 ERA across 12 relief appearances seems troublesome, the 7.11 FIP beneath the surface is downright dreadful. During those 16 2/3 innings, he’s also walked a whopping eight batters while allowing five home runs. All this has led to Leiter Jr. costing his team roughly half a win (per Fangraphs’ WAR formula) below that of a replacement level player.

Quick Hits: Altherr, Schoop, Santana, Allen, Miller

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The Phillies announced that outfielder Aaron Altherr and righty Mark Leiter Jr. have been optioned to Triple-A, with corresponding roster moves coming tomorrow.  It was just a season ago that Altherr looked like a breakout member of the Phils’ outfield picture, as he hit .272/.340/.516 with 19 homers over 412 plate appearances, though he has been unable to come anywhere close to that production in 2018.  Altherr has been a sub-replacement level (-0.7 fWAR) player through 248 PA this season, hitting just .171/.290/.305 and subsequently losing regular playing time.  He’ll look to get back on track in the minors, while his absence could put Philadelphia in the mix for a backup outfielder in its trade discussions.

Here’s more from around baseball as we’re just over a week away from the trade deadline…

  • Jonathan Schoop’s time with the Orioles may be coming to an end, if recent trade rumors are any indication.  The second baseman tells The Athletic’s Dan Connolly (subscription required) that he hopes he can remain in Baltimore to become a building block for the O’s as they go through a rebuild.  That said, the team also didn’t engage in any extension talks with Schoop last winter in the wake of his strong 2017 season.  That move may have been prescient on the Orioles’ part, as Schoop suffered through a nightmarish first three months that saw him miss time with an oblique injury and post just a .587 OPS over 266 PA.  Though he has hit better in July, the Orioles would still be selling low on Schoop, so they could retain him for the rest of the season to see if he can rebuild any value in the second half.  Schoop has one remaining year of arbitration eligibility before hitting free agency after the 2019 campaign.
  • Ervin Santana will make his season debut on Wednesday when he takes the hill for a start in Toronto, Twins skipper Paul Molitor told reporters (including MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger).  Santana underwent surgery on the middle finger of his throwing hand back in early February, a procedure that was thought to require only a 10-to-12 week rehab stint.  Unfortunately for the right-hander, he battled continued soreness in his finger as well as a rather troubling velocity drop during his recovery process, and is only now ready to return to action.  Due to that extended absence, Bollinger writes that Santana’s $14MM club option for 2019 is ” not expected to be picked up” by the Twins, though I’d suspect that the team would at least consider retaining the veteran if he shows any of his old form over the final two-plus months of the season.  Santana did post excellent numbers in 2016-17, delivering a 3.32 ERA, 2.77 K/BB rate, and 7.2 K/9 over 63 starts and 392 2/3 IP for Minnesota.
  • The Indians’ acquisitions of Brad Hand and Adam Cimber from the Padres in this week’s blockbuster trade likely means that the Tribe will let Cody Allen and Andrew Miller leave after the season, Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer opines.  Hand is signed to a reasonable contract through at least the 2020 season while Cimber is controlled through 2023, making them better value over Allen and Miller, considering what the two veteran relievers are likely to ask for in free agency this winter.  Cleveland has stretched its payroll beyond its usual mid-market comfort zone in an attempt to win a World Series, and it always seemed unlikely that the Indians would continue to heavily invest in the bullpen by re-signing Miller and/or Allen when lower-cost options could be found elsewhere.

Phillies Place Luis Garcia On 10-Day DL, Recall Thompson, Rios

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The Phillies have placed right-handed reliever Luis Garcia on the 10-day disabled list. Amidst the shuffle, the club also recalled fellow right-handers Jake Thompson and Yacksel Rios, while optioning another right-hander, Mark Leiter Jr., to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The moves were announced by the club’s media account on Twitter.

Though Garcia enjoyed a significant breakthrough last season by posting a 2.65 ERA to go with an impressive 56.3% ground ball rate last season, he hasn’t managed to build on that so far in 2018. The 31-year-old’s 4.74 ERA through 24 2/3 innings is an eyesore, while that fantastic ground ball rate has also dropped nearly seven points. That’s also with a .279 BABIP taken into consideration, which is well below the league average.

Thompson hasn’t had much opportunity with the Phillies this year, and hasn’t exactly impressed in limited action. The young gun has allowed a whopping seven earned runs in just 8 2/3 innings out of the bullpen. Last season, Thompson posted a 3.88 ERA while pitching mostly as a starter, but his 5.92 FIP indicates that he was more than just a bit lucky.

As for Rios, there seems to be some reason for optimism surrounding his potential. His 5.29 ERA is a bit ugly, but he’s managed to limit opposing hard contact to 28.8% in his 17 innings on the year thus far. His 9.53 K/9 is certainly worthy of some attention, while his 3.71 BB/9 is at least passable. Rios has also suffered from a .400 opponent BABIP, a number which is likely to regress to the mean.

Though he made 11 starts for the Phillies last year, Leiter’s pitched exclusively out of the bullpen both in the majors and minors this season. He’s managed to strike out nine batters in eight innings across his four appearances; all four of those appearances saw him retire at least five hitters. Leiter also allowed four earned runs on two walks and eight hits, including two homers.

Phillies Place Rhys Hoskins On DL, Promote Dylan Cozens, Designate Drew Hutchison

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3:51pm: The injury will not require surgery and is considered “weeks thing, not a months thing,” Matt Gelb of The Athletic was among those to tweet.

2:14pm: The Phillies announced on Thursday that they’ve placed Rhys Hoskins on the DL with a fractured jaw and recalled outfield prospect Dylan Cozens from Triple-A Lehigh Valley in his place. Additionally, the Phils recalled right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. and cleared a spot on the roster by designating fellow righty Drew Hutchison for assignment.

Hoskins incurred the fracture on Monday this week when he fouled a ball into his jaw and was forced to exit the game. Initial x-rays proved to be negative, it seems, as Hoskins somewhat remarkably hit a pinch-hit double a day later on Tuesday. However, a CT scan revealed the fracture last night. At the time, he was reportedly set to return to Philadelphia for further evaluation by an oral surgeon. The Phillies have yet to announce the findings of that exam, though surgery was at least mentioned as a possible option.

Until the Phils make that announcement, there’s no way of knowing just how long Hoskins will be sidelined. In his absence, though, the organization will turn to former Cozens, the former second-rounder who has long held intrigue due to his light-tower power but has also displayed considerable struggles making contact in Triple-A.

It’s the first call to the Majors for the 23-year-old Cozens, who garnered plenty of attention with a 40-homer campaign as a 22-year-old in Double-A. Cozens posted an overall .276/.350/.591 batting line that season in a year which he and Hoskins were teammates who served as a source of great excitement for Phils fans. However, while Hoskins ascended to the Majors late in 2017 and took the big leagues by storm over the season’s final two months, Cozens struggled with a strikeout rate north of 35 percent in Triple-A. Overall, between 2017 and 2018, he’s batted just .214/.307/.424 with a 36.4 percent strikeout rate in 739 PAs at the Triple-A level.

With Hoskins on the shelf, the Phils could utilize Nick Williams, Odubel Herrera and Aaron Altherr as the primary outfielders, although given Altherr’s struggles against righties, perhaps the makings of a corner-outfield platoon are present at Citizens Bank Park.

As for Hutchison, the 27-year-old made the Opening Day roster after coming to camp on a minor league deal, but he’s scarcely been used by skipper Gabe Kapler in recent weeks. Hutchison posted a 2.76 ERA with a 16-to-8 K/BB ratio in 16 1/3 innings of relief from Opening Day through May 4, but he appeared just two more times over the remainder of the month. The Cardinals tagged him for five runs in a long relief appearance on May 18, and he allowed a run in two innings to the Dodgers yesterday.

In all, Hutchison has a 4.64 ERA with 8.0 K/9 and 5.5 BB/9 in 21 1/3 innings this season. He has experience starting in the Majors and is earning a fairly minimal salary, so perhaps a club in need of some rotation depth or a long man in the ’pen would be interested in adding him to its ranks, be it via waivers or a minor trade.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/18/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from throughout the game, all from Baseball America’s Matt Eddy unless credited otherwise…

  • The Phillies announced on Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Mark Leiter Jr. He’ll fill the roster spot of Howie Kendrick, who has been placed on the 10-day DL with a right abdominal strain. Leiter, a 22nd-round pick by the Phillies back in 2013, is the son of former Major League pitcher Mark Leiter and the nephew of former All-Star pitcher Al Leiter. He opened the season in Triple-A Lehigh Valley — his first experience at that level — and has worked to a 3.38 ERA with 8.4 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9 across 445 1/3 innings as a pro.

Earlier Moves

  • The Dodgers signed righty David Hale to a minor league deal.  Hale previously inked a minors contract with the Braves during the offseason but was released during Spring Training.  The right-hander spent much of 2016 pitching in the Orioles’ minor league system after being claimed off waivers from the Rockies in April.  A ground-ball specialist, Hale owns a 4.48 ERA, 6.0 K/9 and 1.94 K/BB rate over 178 2/3 career IP with the Rockies and Braves.
  • The Marlins signed lefty Daniel Schlereth to a minors deal.  Schlereth, taken by the Diamondbacks with the 26th overall pick of the 2008 draft, posted a 4.35 ERA over 93 relief IP with Arizona and Detroit from 2009-12 and hasn’t been back to the majors since, pitching for six different organizations in the last four seasons.
  • The Reds released right-hander Carlos Portuondo after just one relief outing for their Double-A affiliate.  Portuondo was notably acquired as part of the Brandon Phillips trade this winter, coming to the Reds along with southpaw Andrew McKirahan and $1MM in salary relief.   Portuondo’s release leaves the Reds with even less to show for the former All-Star second baseman, though it was clear that the deal was a case of Cincinnati simply wanting to move on from Phillips to create room for Jose Peraza at second base.

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