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Minor MLB Transactions: 6/28/21

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Some minor news and notes from around baseball:

  • Right-handed pitcher Chris Smith announced his retirement this afternoon (on Twitter). Smith appeared in the big leagues in 2017, tossing five innings over four games with the Blue Jays. He spent parts of five seasons in the minors. The 32-year-old signed a minor league deal with the Tigers last year, but he was released after the season was canceled. MLBTR wishes him the best in his future endeavors.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve acquired minor league outfielder Matt Lipka from the Diamondbacks in exchange for cash considerations. He has been assigned to Triple-A Nashville. The 29-year-old was selected by the Braves with the 35th overall pick way back in 2010, but he has yet to make the majors. Lipka has spent parts of four seasons at Triple-A, and he’s been especially productive there in 2021. Through 118 plate appearances with the D-Backs’ affiliate in Reno, the right-handed hitting Lipka has compiled a .333/.393/.505 line with a pair of home runs. He was not on the Arizona 40-man roster, so he’ll serve as non-roster organizational depth in the Milwaukee system.

Yankees Sign Drew Hutchison To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees announced Friday that they’ve signed right-hander Drew Hutchison to a minor league contract and invited him to Major League Spring Training. Outfielder Matt Lipka, too, will receive a minor league deal and a non-roster invite to Major League camp.

Hutchison, 28, once looked like a promising long-term piece in the Blue Jays’ rotation, but Tommy John surgery threw a wrench into his outlook early in his career. The righty has bounced around the league over the past several seasons, most recently splitting the 2018 campaign with the Phillies and Rangers — throwing exactly 21 1/3 innings for each club. Hutchison was pummeled for a combined 6.75 ERA in that stretch and owns a lackluster 5.10 ERA in 460 1/3 MLB innings. However, he’s been vastly better in Triple-A, where he’s compiled a 3.58 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.2 BB/9 and 0.8 HR/9 in 362 1/3 innings. He’ll give the Yankees some depth in the rotation heading into camp this spring.

Lipka, meanwhile, batted .240/.329/.359 as a 26-year-old in Double-A last season. A converted shortstop, Lipka has logged more than 4000 innings in center field since moving there in 2012 and brings some speed to the table, with 186 career stolen bases in 868 games. He stole 21 bags this past season, 25 in 2017 and topped out at 37 swipes back in 2013. Lipka has never hit for much power, though, and last season’s .329 OBP was his highest since a .335 mark in Class-A Advanced back in 2012.

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