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Max Moroff

Cardinals Outright Max Moroff, Justin Williams

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The Cardinals announced Friday that they’ve outrighted infielder Max Moroff and outfielder Justin Williams to Triple-A Memphis. Moroff posted a meager .125 OPS in a tiny sample (16 plate appearances) in 2021, while Williams managed only a .531 mark in 137 trips to the plate.

Though neither player has yet contributed much in the Major Leagues, Williams comes with the greater pedigree. After arriving in the Cardinals’ system (alongside Genesis Cabrera and Roel Ramirez) in the 2018 Tommy Pham deal with the Rays, the outfielder put together a sterling .296/.372/.484 line in the upper minors in 2019. He had a similarly strong line (.274/.307/.560) in a short stint in Triple-A this year, but he’s not managed to translate his tools into big-league production.

Moroff has appeared in parts of five big league campaigns, never appearing in more than 56 games in a given season. The switch-hitting utilityman owns a .175/.264/.301 mark in 260 cumulative big league plate appearances. Both Williams and Moroff will be eligible for minor league free agency.

Cardinals Sign Wade LeBlanc

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The Cardinals announced the signing of left-hander Wade LeBlanc.  The deal is apparently a Major League contract, as LeBlanc will move directly onto the Cards’ active roster.  In corresponding moves, right-hander Seth Elledge was optioned to Triple-A, and infielder Max Moroff was moved from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL.

LeBlanc is now lined up to pitch for the ninth different team of his 13-season MLB career.  LeBlanc was also briefly a member of the Brewers and Rangers organizations within the last two months, signing minor league contracts with both clubs but not receiving a promotion to the majors.

This transactional carousel began after the Orioles outrighted LeBlanc in April, and the veteran southpaw decided to become a free agent.  The move ended a tough two-year stint for LeBlanc in Baltimore that saw him post an 8.38 ERA over 29 innings, with LeBlanc starting seven of his 12 total appearances in the black-and-orange.

St. Louis manager Mike Shildt told reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat and The Athletic’s Katie Woo) that the Cardinals will mostly use LeBlanc as a relief pitcher.  While LeBlanc’s recent results don’t exactly indicate a quick fix for a struggling Cards bullpen, he can at least provide the team with some depth as a long man, and perhaps even as a spot starter in the event of more injuries within the rotation.  LeBlanc’s splits against left-handed batters have still been generally good, so a more situational usage — within the boundaries of the three-batter rule — might be the more optimal way to deploy the southpaw at this stage of his career.

“He’s got versatility. He’s not overly splitty, throws strikes to both righties and lefties.  But he’s built up, he’s got some length,” Shildt said.

Central Notes: Mondesi, Twins, Moroff, White Sox

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Before this afternoon’s game against the Twins, the Royals placed shortstop Adalberto Mondesi on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 4, with a left hamstring strain. It’s a tough blow for the speedy shortstop, who missed almost all of the season’s first two months with an oblique issue. In between the injuries, Mondesi has gotten off to a productive start, hitting .360/.360/.720 with a pair of homers in seven games. To replace him on the active roster, Kansas City recalled outfielder Edward Olivares from Triple-A Omaha.

More from the game’s central divisions:

  • Twins center fielder Byron Buxton could embark on a minor league rehab assignment at some point next week, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press). Buxton has missed the better part of a month with a right hip strain, a devastating development considering his incredible start to the season. Before the injury, the 27-year-old looked well on his way to putting himself in early AL MVP conversation, hitting .370/.408/.772 with nine homers in his first 98 plate appearances. Righty Kenta Maeda, meanwhile, threw a 35-pitch bullpen session this morning and looks to be nearing a rehab assignment of his own, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com (Twitter link).
  • Cardinals utilityman Max Moroff will require season-ending surgery on his left shoulder, manager Mike Shildt announced (via Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat). The procedure comes with a seven-month recovery timeline, so Moroff figures to be ready for next Spring Training. Moroff, selected to the St. Louis roster last month, went just 1-16 with ten strikeouts in six games. The Cardinals figure to transfer him to the 60-day injured list when the need for a 40-man roster spot arises.
  • The White Sox announced this morning they’ve reinstated outfielder Adam Engel from the injured list to make his season debut. He’s starting in center field this afternoon against the Tigers. Fellow center fielder Billy Hamilton is going on the 10-day IL due to a right oblique strain in a corresponding move. Engel has missed the first two months of the year with a right hamstring strain. Hamilton has been among the depth outfielders the Sox have relied upon in center without Luis Robert and Engel. Over 75 plate appearances, the speedy Hamilton is hitting .217/.247/.406 with a pair of home runs.

NL Central Notes: Wong, Cardinals, Pirates

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Brewers second baseman Kolten Wong left last night’s game after three innings due to a left oblique strain, after striking out swinging in what ended up as his final at-bat of the game.  Brewers manager Craig Counsell told MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy and other reporters that “at this point, it’s day to day.  It’s not bad, but it’s concerning because it’s the same spot” that Wong previously felt a strain earlier this season.  That initial oblique issue sent Wong to the injured list and caused him to miss 11 games in April.

Wong has been a strong part of Milwaukee’s success this season, delivering his usual stellar glovework at second base while hitting .280/.343/.441 (114 OPS+, 115 wRC+) over 178 plate appearances.  Ideally, Wong could avoid the IL altogether, but even another relatively minimal absence would count as a minor victory considering how oblique injuries can often be longer-term problems.  Keston Hiura, Luis Urias, or Daniel Robertson are fill-in options at second base if Wong indeed has to miss significant time, but none can match Wong’s all-around contributions.

Some more injury updates from around the NL Central…

  • With Miles Mikolas and Jordan Hicks both on the injured list, Cardinals president of baseball operations John Mozeliak told reporters (including Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat) said the “best case” scenario is to have both right-handers back in August.  Mikolas is roughly 3-5 weeks from being re-evaluated after receiving a stem cell injection as he works his way back from forearm tightness, while Hicks is out until at least July 1 after being placed on the 60-day IL due to elbow inflammation.  Given that both hurlers have had significant long-term injury absences prior to these current health issues, the Cards will surely be as cautious as possible in bringing either Mikolas or Hicks back into action, despite the team’s pitching needs.
  • Max Moroff is considering surgery to address his ailing left shoulder, after the Cardinals infielder went on the 10-day IL with a shoulder subluxation last week.  If Moroff doesn’t opt for surgery, he’ll still be out of action for at least 4-6 weeks.
  • Pirates GM Ben Cherington hinted last week that outfield prospect Travis Swaggerty was leaning towards shoulder surgery, and the team announced yesterday (hat tip to The Athletic’s Rob Biertempfel) that Swaggerty indeed went under the knife and will miss the rest of the season.  Swaggerty is expected to be fully recovered in roughly five months, though it’s still a tough setback for the 10th overall pick of the 2018 draft.
  • Jose Soriano has also hit an injury speedbump, as the Pirates right-hander experienced “recurrent elbow discomfort” while on a minor league rehab assignment.  Soriano underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2020, though the Bucs still picked him off the Angels’ roster with the first pick in last December’s Rule 5 draft.  Despite the missed time, MLB Pipeline still ranked Soriano 24th among all Pirates prospect, highlighting his 70-grade fastball and a 55-grade curve.

Latest Cardinals Roster Moves

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The Cardinals made a number of roster moves today, as reported by MLB.com’s Jeff Jones (Twitter links). Counter to yesterday’s report that Jose Rondon would be released to participate on Venezuela’s Olympic team, Rondon instead has had his contract selected to join the Cardinals’ Major League roster. Rondon last appeared in the Majors in 2019. He owns a .206/.260/.336 line across 290 career plate appearances with the Orioles, Padres, and White Sox.

The Cardinals are adding Rondon as a response to Max Moroff suffering left shoulder subluxation, an injury that will land him on the 10-day injured list. Moroff was just 1-for-16 in six games this season.

In other moves, Junior Fernandez has been recalled from Triple-A, while Johan Oviedo has been optioned to Triple-A, though he will remain with the team on the taxi squad, per the team. Fernandez was just optioned yesterday, but he’s able to re-join the team because of the Moroff injury. The 24-year-old has just two appearances this season covering 3 2/3 innings.

Oviedo, meanwhile, has appeared five times, starting four games. He has posted a 5.40 ERA/6.02 FIP across 20 innings with a 47.4 percent groundball rate, 17.4 percent strikeout rate and 16.3 percent walk rate. The Cardinals will want to see significant improvement from Oviedo in those strikeout and walk rates, though with just 20 innings, we’re still in the small sample size category for the 23 year old.

Cardinals Place Paul DeJong On 10-Day IL, Select Max Moroff

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The Cardinals have placed shortstop Paul DeJong on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to May 13) with a non-displaced left rib fracture, Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat reports. In corresponding moves, the team selected infielder Max Moroff and moved reliever Jordan Hicks to the 60-day IL.

It’s unknown how much time DeJong will miss, though the obvious hope is that this won’t potentially lead to a weeks-long absence. DeJong has again been the Cardinals’ go-to option at short, where he has started 35 of the first-place club’s 38 games. The 27-year-old has had a tough time offensively for the second straight season, though, having batted .177/.277/.371 (85 wRC+) with seven home runs in 141 plate appearances. Tommy Edman figures to get the bulk of the work at short with DeJong down, leaving second base to Matt Carpenter, Katie Woo of The Athletic tweets.

Moroff, whom the Cardinals signed to a minor league contract last winter, will get his first opportunity with the team as a result of DeJong’s injury. The 28-year-old has appeared in the majors with the Pirates and Indians, though he has slumped to a line of .183/.277/.319 (60 wRC+) with seven home runs in 244 trips to the plate. Moroff has, however, offered nice production in Triple-A ball, as his .239/.372/.413 mark with 37 home runs over 1,215 PA shows.

Hicks’ placement on the 60-day IL is another blow to St. Louis, which won’t get him back until at least July 1. It’s not out of the blue, though, as expectations were that Hicks would miss six or more weeks as of May 10. The flamethrowing right-hander, a Tommy John surgery recipient in 2019, is battling elbow issues again.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/15/20

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The latest minor league moves from around the sport…

  • The Cardinals have signed infielder Max Moroff to a minors contract that contains an invitation to the Cards’ big league Spring Training camp, Tim Dierkes of MLB Trade Rumors reports (Twitter link).  A veteran of 104 Major League games with the Pirates and Indians from 2016-19, Moroff has a .183/.277/.319 slash line over 244 career plate appearances, though his ability to play second base, third base, and shortstop makes him a useful bench asset.  Moroff signed a minor league deal with the Mets last winter.
  • The Phillies signed utilityman Christian Bethancourt to a minor league deal, The Athletic’s Matt Gelb reports (via Twitter).  The contract has an invite to the Phillies’ Major League spring camp.  Bethancourt inked a minors deal with Philadelphia last offseason but didn’t see any action in any big league games or at the Phils’ alternate training site.  Bethancourt hit .222/.252/.316 over 489 PA with the Braves and Padres from 2013-17, and he has since played in the Brewers’ minor league system and in South Korea with the KBO League’s NC Dinos.  Though Bethancourt is known for his ability to play multiple positions around the diamond, he’ll likely be used primarily as a catcher by the Phillies, Gelb notes, since the team is lacking in catching depth.

Mets Sign Jarrett Parker, Max Moroff

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The Mets have signed outfielder Jarrett Parker and infielder Max Moroff to minor league deals, the team announced.  Parker and Moroff will both be invited to the team’s Major League spring camp.

Parker, who turns 31 on New Year’s Day, was a second-round pick for the Giants in 2010 who only developed into a part-time option for San Francisco over 135 games from 2015-17.  After sitting out the 2018 season entirely, Parker signed a minors contract with the Angels that resulted in a .266/.394/.535 slash line and 24 homers over 424 Triple-A plate appearances, plus five MLB appearances.  The left-handed hitting Parker can play center field in a pinch and saw some action at first base for Triple-A Salt Lake in 2019, though the bulk of his experience has been as a corner outfielder.

Moroff brings added defensive versatility, as he has extensively played both middle infield spots as well as third base and even some work in both corner outfield positions.  While the 26-year-old Moroff hasn’t been able to offer is much hitting, as he has only a .183/.277/.319 slash line over 244 Major League PA with the Pirates and Indians since 2016, and also hasn’t done much at the plate at the Triple-A level.

Indians Select A.J. Cole

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The Indians have selected the contract of righty A.J. Cole from Triple-A Columbus, reports Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain-Dealer. Righty Cody Anderson will head back to AAA in his place, while infielder Max Moroff has cleared waivers and been outright off the 40-man roster.

Cole, 27, will presumably work out of an unsung Indians pen that’s been a surprising bright spot in 2019. Both Brad Hand and Adam Cimber have again been rock-solid, and under-the-radar pickup Nick Wittgren has quietly been among the AL’s best in a brief sample thus far.

In 148 big-league innings across four seasons with the Nationals and Yankees, Cole has shown an unyielding proclivity for the K, though it’s too often been offset by an icky gopher-ball itch. His 1.89 HR/9 ranks near the back of the league over that span, hitting rock bottom in ’18 with a disturbing 2.79 HR/9 over 48 IP with both clubs. In 17 innings with Columbus this season, Cole’d allowed just 2 homers, though his 35.3% grounder rate placed right in line with his career norms.

Indians Designate Max Moroff

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The Indians have designated infielder Max Moroff for assignment, Zack Meisel of The Athletic was among those to report. The team also recalled righty Cody Anderson from Triple-A Columbus.

A Pirate from 2016-18, Moroff joined the Tribe last November in a five-player trade that also netted the Indians outfielder Jordan Luplow. While Luplow has performed well with the organization thus far, the 25-year-old Moroff has fallen flat, leading to his designation. The Indians hoped Moroff would help cover for injured middle infielders Francisco Lindor and Jason Kipnis at the beginning of the season, but he instead provided minimal production during their absences. Now, with Lindor and Kipnis back in the fold, the Indians are moving on from Moroff after he opened 2019 with a woeful .125/.176/.250 line and 16 strikeouts in 35 plate appearances.

The switch-hitting Moroff has never been any kind of offensive threat in the majors, where he has batted .183/.277/.319 in 244 PA, though he has slashed an effective .233/.363/.399 in 1,045 Triple-A attempts. Moroff’s also a capable defender at both middle infield positions. However, the fact that he’s out of minor league options works against him.

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