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Miguel Castro

Looking Ahead To Upcoming Club Options: NL West

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We’re roughly a third of the way through the 2023 season. Players have had a couple months to build something of a performance track record that’ll play a role in their future contracts. With that in mind, MLBTR will take a look over the coming days at players whose contracts contain team or mutual options to gauge the early trajectory for those upcoming decisions.

We’ll go division by division and open things in the National League West:

Arizona Diamondbacks

Chafin lingered in free agency over the winter after opting out of his deal with the Tigers. The seeming lack of market interest was perplexing given the lefty reliever’s consistent effectiveness over the past few seasons. He’s carried that over into his second stint in the desert. Through 20 1/3 innings, Chafin owns a 3.10 ERA. He’s punched out 36% of opposing hitters on a huge 16.2% swinging strike percentage, both of which would be career-high marks. He’s not a prototypical fireballing reliever but he’s demonstrated he’s capable of missing bats and thriving in high-leverage situations for the past few years. The $6.5MM net decision on next year’s option looks more than reasonable if he keeps this up.

  • Zach Davies: $5.5MM mutual option ($300K buyout, rises to $500K with 16+ starts)

Davies has been limited to three starts by a left oblique strain. He has allowed eight runs with a modest 10:8 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 12 2/3 innings. There’s not much to go on yet in terms of 2023 performance but Davies looked like a borderline fifth starter the previous two years. The Diamondbacks have enough young pitching they seem likelier to buy him out unless the soft-tossing righty rediscovers his 2019-20 form for the stretch run.

  • Miguel Castro: $5MM option vests with 60+ appearances; would become $6MM player option with 40+ games finished (no buyout)

Castro has already pitched 26 times since signing with Arizona over the winter. He’s on pace to easily surpass the 60-appearance threshold needed to vest next year’s $5MM option if he can avoid the injured list. It could be a closer call as to whether he can turn that guaranteed $5MM salary into a $6MM player option; Castro has finished 12 games thus far, putting him just off the 40-game pace he’d need to do so. (He’s on pace for 36 games finished). Castro has been effective — a 2.22 ERA with roughly average strikeout, walk and swinging strike numbers through 24 1/3 innings — so vesting the player option and retesting the market isn’t out of the question.

Melancon struggled to a 4.66 ERA in 56 innings during his first season in Arizona. He hasn’t pitched this year on account of a Spring Training shoulder strain. Melancon might return in the second half but this is trending towards the team buying him out.

Colorado Rockies

Márquez underwent Tommy John surgery earlier this month. He’ll miss the majority of next season as he rehabs. A healthy Márquez would’ve made this an easy call for the Rockies to exercise but the procedure means they’ll buy him out. It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Rox try to bring him back on a lesser salary or a multi-year deal with an eye towards 2025.

Hand’s peripherals had fallen back between 2021-22 from his All-Star peak. He’s continued to keep runs off the board and seen a notable bounceback in his strikeout rate since a Spring Training deal with Colorado. Hand owns a 3.20 ERA through 19 2/3 frames while striking out 33.7% of batters faced on a decent 11.6% swinging strike percentage. The veteran southpaw has dominated left-handed hitters and is yet to allow a home run this season. If he maintains this form, he’ll be one of the top reliever trade candidates this summer. If Colorado hangs onto him, they could be faced with an interesting decision as to whether to keep him around for an extra $6.5MM next winter.

Los Angeles Dodgers

The Dodgers signed Muncy to a $13.5MM deal last summer even as he was amidst his worst season since landing in L.A. They’ve been rewarded with a massive bounceback showing. Muncy is tied for second in the majors with 17 home runs. He’s only hitting .208 but carrying a strong .340 on-base percentage thanks to an elite 15.8% walk rate. The $10MM price point would be an easy decision for the Dodgers if Muncy keeps up anything approaching this pace.

Los Angeles brought Hudson back last summer on the heels of a season-ending ACL tear. The veteran reliever hasn’t recovered as quickly from that procedure as he’d hoped. Hudson hasn’t pitched yet this season. He told reporters last night he’ll throw a bullpen session this week but is without a timeline for a return to game action (via Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times). It remains to be seen how he’ll look when he takes the mound.

  • Alex Reyes: $3MM team option with escalators ($100K buyout)

The Dodgers took a $1.1MM flier on Reyes after he lost the 2022 season to shoulder surgery. He’s on the 60-day injured list and not expected to be a factor until around the All-Star Break. This one remains to be determined based on his post-rehab form.

  • Blake Treinen (option value between $1-7MM dependent on time spent on IL)

Treinen underwent surgery to repair the rotator cuff and labrum in his throwing shoulder last November. He won’t pitch much, if at all, this season. Treinen’s contract contains an option with a floating value between $1MM and $7MM depending on how much time he spends on the injured list and the issue that puts him on the shelf. Its precise value is yet to be determined, but MLBTR has confirmed it’ll land towards the lower end of that range given Treinen’s surgery.

San Diego Padres

  • Nick Martinez: team has two-year, $32MM option; if declined, Martinez has two-year, $16MM player option

Martinez has taken on a similar swing role as he served during his first year in San Diego. The right-hander started his first four outings and pitched reasonably well. He was nevertheless bumped back into relief thereafter. For the second consecutive season, Martinez has proven a key multi-inning arm out of the bullpen. He’s posted a 1.35 ERA with a quality 20:4 strikeout-to-walk ratio over 20 relief innings, holding opponents to a pitiful .240/.278/.267 batting line.

There’s little question of Martinez’s effectiveness in a relief role, though a $16MM average annual value could be pricy if the organization isn’t planning on giving him another look out of the rotation. Perhaps Martinez’s production over the final four months makes this a clearer decision for San Diego by season’s end. As of now, it looks like a borderline call — not too dissimilar from Martinez’s question of whether to opt out of three years and $18MM last winter. The Padres liked him enough to subsequently re-sign him to a $26MM guarantee with the complex option structure.

  • Michael Wacha: team has two-year, $32MM option; if declined, Wacha has $6.5MM player option (with successive player options for 2025-26)

Wacha lingered in free agency last winter. Clubs seemed reluctant to buy into his solid results for the Red Sox, a reflection of middling strikeout and ground-ball numbers. Since landing in San Diego, he’s basically repeating last year’s script. The run prevention is excellent; he’s allowed a 3.45 ERA through 57 1/3 innings over ten starts. Wacha is again throwing strikes and keeping runs off the board despite roughly average strikeout and swinging strike rates.

Maintaining a mid-3.00s ERA for a second straight season might build confidence in his ability to outperform ERA estimators that suggest he’s more of a solid #4 starter than a mid-rotation arm. That said, Wacha doesn’t look all that different now than he did three months ago, when he signed a four-year guarantee with a $6.5MM average annual value. A jump to the $16MM per-year range could be a tougher sell for San Diego, although there’s little doubt Wacha would opt out of the final three years and $18.5MM on his contract if he keeps pitching like this and the Padres decline their end.

San Francisco Giants

Cobb has pitched well since signing a two-year deal with San Francisco over the 2021-22 offseason. He carries a 3.05 ERA through his first 11 starts this year. Cobb’s 60.6% ground-ball rate is stellar and he’s posted average strikeout and walk numbers (21.3% and 6.7%, respectively). An $8MM net decision would be an easy call for the Giants to exercise if Cobb maintains this pace. He’s dealt with injuries in the past but managed 149 2/3 innings over 28 starts last year and has avoided the IL in 2023.

All stats through play Monday.

Diamondbacks To Sign Miguel Castro

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9:22pm: The 2024 option would vest at $5MM if Castro appears in 60 games next year and passes a physical at the end of the season, reports Ken Rosenthal of the Athletic (Twitter links). Should Castro finish 40 games next season, it’d become a player option. The deal also contains various incentives based on appearances and games finished that could tack on as much as $2.75MM per season to the deal.

9:00am: The Diamondbacks have agreed to a one-year deal with free-agent righty Miguel Castro, Robert Murray of FanSided reports (via Twitter). The Ballengee Group client will be guaranteed $3.5MM. Jon Heyman of the New York Post adds that the one-year deal also contains incentives to boost that guarantee, as well as an option for the 2024 season.

Castro, 28 next month, is one of the youngest free agents on this year’s market, which surely appealed to the D-backs and other interested parties. However, he’s also coming off an injury-marred  season in which a shoulder strain limited him to just 29 innings for the Yankees. That injury sidelined Castro for most of July and for all of August and September, though he did return to toss two innings in October. He added another pair of scoreless frames during the ALCS.

Since making his Major League debut with the Blue Jays as a 20-year-old back in 2015, Castro has been traded multiple times and struggled to find consistent success. The flamethrowing righty, who averaged 97.9 mph on his sinker in 2022, has at times looked brilliant but has also battled high walk rates and been occasionally susceptible to home runs. His 2022 season in the Bronx was solid, as he pitched to a 4.03 ERA with above-average strikeout and ground-ball rates (23.7% and 47.5%, respectively) in his 29 frames. However, Castro walked 11.5% of his opponents in his lone season as a Yankee — the fifth straight year in which he’s logged at least an 11% walk rate.

For all the ups and downs with his command, Castro has logged a composite 3.93 ERA in 350 innings across the past six Major League seasons while pitching for the Orioles, Mets and Yankees. His strikeout rate has trended upward over the past three seasons, in particular, sitting at 26.6% in that time. That’s backed up by an above-average 12.8% swinging-strike rate, and Castro has added a hearty 50.8% grounder rate in that time.

Between his age, velocity, ground-ball rate and ability to miss bats, there’s plenty to like in Castro’s game even if his command never turns a corner. The D-backs will surely hope to curtail his proclivity for free passes, but Castro has pitched for five different Major League teams and only once turned in a walk rate under 10% — and that came in 2016 when he threw just 14 2/3 innings with the Rockies. Listed at a lanky 6’7″ and 205 pounds, Castro’s long levers give him excellent extension on his pitches (77th percentile, per Statcast) which can make his perceived velocity even stronger than his already impressive 98mph average — but maintaining control over those long levers has been a persistent challenge that no team has been able to help him overcome to this point.

Castro is the second addition to the Arizona bullpen in the relatively young offseason, as the Snakes also claimed righty Cole Sulser off waivers from the Marlins late last month. Improving a suspect bullpen has been a stated priority for the D-backs, and Castro will give them a youthful veteran to pair with incumbent options Joe Mantiply, Kyle Nelson, Kevin Ginkel and Mark Melancon, the latter of whom will be seeking a rebound after a frustrating 2022 campaign that saw him lose his grip on the closer’s job in Arizona.

Castro’s $3.5MM guarantee will nudge the Diamondbacks’ projected payroll north of $100MM for what would be just the fourth time in franchise history and the first time since 2019. General manager Mike Hazen recently cast doubt on whether ownership would take payroll back to that 2018-19 level ($131MM in 2018, $124MM in 2019), but he did suggest that a bump over last year’s $90MM Opening Day mark was likely. It stands to reason that the D-backs will remain in the market for further bullpen help, and Hazen has previously spoken about the possibility of finding an offensive upgrade behind the dish and perhaps adding a right-handed bat to the lineup.

The Opener: Winter Meetings, Relief Market, HOF

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Here’s what we’re keeping an eye on to wrap up the week…

1. Winter Meetings start this weekend

The Winter Meetings should see a thaw to the frigid hot stove thus far, and the glacial pace with which the offseason has moved should quicken. The annual meetings take place in San Diego this year between Dec. 4-7 and will bring key baseball operations leaders from all 30 teams, agents and media into one place. Several reports have suggested that AL MVP Aaron Judge could make his decision there, which could help to set the star-studded shortstop market in motion. It’ll also be interesting if top starters Justin Verlander, Jacob deGrom and Carlos Rodon find deals. There could well be blockbuster trades as well, with Oakland catcher Sean Murphy among the likeliest players to be moved this offseason. It’s not just deals either; on the 6th we’ll see the first MLB draft lottery, and that’ll be followed by the Rule 5 Draft on the 7th.

2. Relief market set to move?

It certainly seems so, according to ESPN’s Buster Olney. He reports a “sense among some execs that a wave of second-tier is moving fast and on the cusp of landing deals”, citing the likes of Chris Martin and Miguel Castro as players in that group. Martin snuck onto MLBTR’s Top 50 free agents in 47th place, with a predicted deal of two-years, $14MM. As always, there’s plenty of options in middle-relief. Beyond Martin and Castro, the likes of Seth Lugo, Adam Ottavino, Andrew Chafin, Michael Fulmer, Corey Knebel and Mychal Givens (among many others) remain unsigned at this point.

3. Hall of Fame results coming

On Sunday, the 16-member Contemporary Baseball Era Hall of Fame Committee will vote on eight former big league players to be inducted into the Hall of Fame next summer. The contemporary era comprises players who contributed to the game between 1980 and the present day. The eight players are Albert Belle, Barry Bonds, Roger Clemens, Don Mattingly, Fred McGriff, Dale Murphy, Rafael Palmeiro and Curt Schilling. Players who receive more than 75% of the vote from the committee will be slated for induction into Cooperstown next July. This announcement runs separate to the usual Baseball Writers’ Association of America Hall of Fame voting, which will be revealed in January.

Yankees Outright Chi Chi Gonzalez

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Oct. 6: Gonzalez cleared outright waivers and was assigned to the roster in Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, per a team announcement. He can reject the assignment to become a free agent right now or can otherwise wait and become a free agent at season’s end (as is the right of any outrighted player with three-plus years of service).

Oct. 3: The Yankees announced Monday that they’ve reinstated right-hander Miguel Castro from the 60-day injured list and designated fellow righty Chi Chi Gonzalez for assignment in order to open space on the roster.

The Yanks were the third team of the season for the 30-year-old Gonzalez, who allowed one run through 4 2/3 innings in a spot start against the Orioles just yesterday. He’s also spent time with the Twins and Brewers in 2022, combining for 23 innings of 5.87 ERA ball with a 15-to-7 K/BB ratio.

Selected by the Rangers with the No. 23 overall pick back in 2013, Gonzalez ranked as one of Texas’ top minor league arms for a few years but never cemented himself as a regular contributor in either the rotation or the bullpen there. His 3.90 ERA through 67 innings as a rookie in 2015 looked promising on the surface, but Gonzalez walked more hitters (32) than he struck out (30) that season. He’s tossed 217 1/3 frames for five teams since that time, pitching to a collective 6.20 ERA along the way.

Struggles in the Majors notwithstanding, Gonzalez has a decent Triple-A track record and has been solid or better there in three of four seasons pitching at that level. That includes the current campaign, where he’s totaled 80 1/3 innings with a 4.03 ERA, a 20.8% strikeout rate and a 7.9% walk rate. The Yankees will place him on outright waivers or release waivers in the next couple days, and assuming he clears, Gonzalez will be able to become a free agent either upon clearing waivers or at season’s end.

Castro, 27, has been on the injured list twice this season due to a shoulder strain. In 27 innings when healthy, he’s posted a 4.00 ERA with a 24.8% strikeout rate, 10.7% walk rate and 46.6% ground-ball rate. Despite the shoulder troubles, Castro’s sinker remains just as lively as it was with the crosstown Mets in 2021, averaging a blistering 97.9 mph this season.

If he’s healthy, Castro will give the Yanks an experienced option to consider for the postseason as he looks to showcase himself in advance of his first trip to free agency this winter. Command has long been an issue for the hard-throwing righty, but he has a 3.93 ERA over his past 348 big league innings, has considerably upped his strikeout rate since 2020 (26.9%) and typically keeps nearly half the batted balls against him on the ground (career 48.9%).

AL East Notes: Hosmer, Pham, Castro, Peralta, Espinal

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Eric Hosmer will be activated from the injured list tomorrow, according to Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe. Hosmer has been out since late August with lower back inflammation.

It’s been a curious season for Hosmer. Dogged by trade rumors for years, the first baseman was initially reported to be part of the deadline blockbuster between the Padres and the Nationals where San Diego acquired Juan Soto and Josh Bell. Hosmer refused to waive his no-trade rights, however, and so the Padres pivoted, sending Luke Voit to Washington as part of the Soto package and instead moving Hosmer, Corey Rosier, and Max Ferguson to Boston in exchange for Jay Groome.

Hosmer played just 12 games for the Red Sox before heading to the injured list. In those games, he slashed a meager .225/.311/.300, though his season line of .267/.333/.381 is good for a 104 wRC+, his best mark in a full season since his 2017 walk year with the Royals. Though Hosmer’s contract, which will pay him $13 million a year for the 2023-2025 seasons, has an opt-out after this season, it’s extremely unlikely to be exercised. As such, Hosmer is expected to compete with Bobby Dalbec and top prospect Triston Casas for playing time at first base going forward, though with J.D. Martinez slated to hit free agency after this season, it’s possible Hosmer could see some time at DH as well.

Additional notes from around the AL East…

  • Red Sox outfielder Tommy Pham’s mutual option for the 2023, previously reported as $6 million, is a $12 million option, per MassLive’s Christopher Smith. Like any mutual option, it remains exceedingly unlikely to be exercised. The Red Sox acquired Pham from the Reds at the trade deadline earlier this season in exchange for a player to be named later or cash. It’s been a disappointing season at the plate for Pham, as he’s slashed just .241/.316/.381 in 611 plate appearances between Cincinnati and Boston.
  • The Athletic’s Chris Kirschner reports that Yankees reliever Miguel Castro is expected to be activated from the injured list tomorrow. The right-hander has posted a 4.00 ERA with a 3.75 FIP in 27 innings this season. Castro has been out with a right shoulder strain since July. As he’s coming off the 60-day injured list, a 40-man roster spot will be necessary to activate Castro. That spot could come from Matt Carpenter, who was transferred to the 60-day IL himself earlier today. Additionally, Kirschner relays that lefty Wandy Peralta will not pitch again during the regular season this year, instead heading to Somerset to prepare for the postseason while the Yankees travel to Texas for their final regular season series against the Rangers. Peralta was placed on the 15-day injured list in September with left thoracic spine tightness.
  • Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi reports that Blue Jays infielder Santiago Espinal will take live batting practice on Tuesday, and could be activated from the injured list shortly thereafter as Toronto gears up for the postseason. Espinal has slashed .267/.322/.370 in 491 plate appearances this season, but was placed on the injured list with a left oblique strain in September. While Espinal is expected to be ready for the postseason, how much playing time he’ll have available to him is an open question. Espinal has primarily played second base this season, but fellow second basemen Whit Merrifield has posted an .865 OPS since the start of September. That being said, both players have the positional versatility to share a lineup if interim manager John Schneider so desires.

Yankees Notes: LeMahieu, Rizzo, Cabrera, Bader, Pitching Staff

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3:26PM: LeMahieu discussed his toe injury with Rivera and other reporters, saying that he had yet to begin any baseball activities since he isn’t able to rotate his right foot.  LeMahieu is hopeful he might be able to return when the Yankees begin a homestand on September 20, though Boone wasn’t quite as optimistic about that potential return date.

9:25AM: The Yankees were largely able to avoid the injury bug in the early part of the year but it’s caught up with them here in the latter part of the schedule. The club currently has 15 players on the IL, which includes five position players and 10 pitchers. Marly Rivera did a thorough roundup at ESPN, including comments from manager Aaron Boone.

First baseman Anthony Rizzo has been out of action for over a week now but seems to be trending towards a return to baseball activities. A lingering back issue led to him getting an epidural as treatment, but that had the unfortunate side effect of giving Rizzo migraines. Rivera reports that Rizzo received a blood patch to try to alleviate the migraines, which Boone characterized as a success. “Immediately, they had him moving around and walking,” Boone said. “And I think it freed him up right away. Headaches are gone so far.”

Boone then added that if Rizzo feels good today, they will start ramping up baseball activities. While that sounds like good news, the next steps are still a bit murky. Though Boone is hoping for Rizzo to be back in the lineup within a week, it will depend on how things progress. “It’ll kind of depend on how the ramp-up goes. Hopefully, we’ve gotten through what we need to, and now we can start building that process. We’ll just pay attention to how he’s doing and how long it takes him to get rolling.”

With Rizzo and DJ LeMahieu out of action, the Yanks took a shot on Ronald Guzmán, though he was designated for assignment after just a few days. Marwin Gonzalez is holding down the position for now, with Rivera reporting that rookie Oswaldo Cabrera currently penciled in as the backup. Cabrera definitely has versatility, having played a lot of second base, third base and shortstop in his career, as well as some outfield work. He’s never played first base, however, though that doesn’t seem too concerning to the Yanks. Rivera reports that Cabrera has been practicing his work at first, getting a nod of approval from infield coach Travis Chapman.

There could be reinforcements coming for the outfield as well, with Harrison Bader inching closer to his Yankee debut. Acquired from the Cardinals on deadline day, Bader was on the IL at the time with plantar fasciitis and hasn’t been able to officially don the pinstripes just yet. He is going to start a rehab assignment today, though only serving as designated hitter initially. “It’s really just a matter of getting on a baseball field, checking off boxes in terms of feeling comfortable physically at game speed, and once those are checked, I’m going to go and be a winning player for this team,” Bader said.

Giving more details about the rehab, Boone said that Bader will DH today for the Double-A Somerset Patriots, who then have an off-day on Monday, with Bader building up after that. “It’ll probably be at least a week,” Boone said. “If we get through that week, and the buildup is going fine, he could be in play then when we start the homestand.” The homestand Boone referred to begins on September 20, which would give Bader a chance to contribute over the final two weeks of the regular schedule.

As for the pitching staff, the Yanks could have many options over the horizon, as a whole fleet of arms are rehabbing and nearing a return. Aroldis Chapman, Miguel Castro and Zack Britton are all scheduled to pitch for the Patriots today, with Chapman and Castro potentially returning for the same homestand as Bader. Scott Effross isn’t quite at the rehab stage but is gearing up to it. Additionally, Luis Severino is ready for launch but will make one more rehab start since the big league club has a couple of off-days that negate the need for his services in the short term.

The health of all these players, and the roster in general, will be hugely important for the Yankees in the final few weeks of the season. Not so long ago, it seemed that they were in cruise control, leading the AL East by as much as 15 1/2 games in July. This pile of injuries has helped slow the team down and whittle their lead over the Rays to just 4 1/2 games as of today, with the Jays just half a game behind Tampa. With just over three weeks left in the regular season, the Yanks will be hoping to fend off their competitors and keep the division title, which would be hugely important for their postseason chances. Whoever wins the East will almost certainly get a bye through the first round, whereas those who settle for a Wild Card slot will have to survive a best-of-three series to stay alive.

Yankees Place Scott Effross On IL With Shoulder Strain

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Yankees right-hander Scott Effross is going on the 15-day injured list with a shoulder strain, according to manager Aaron Boone, courtesy Lindsey Adler of The Athletic. Boone characterizes the strain as minor but says that Effross will be shut down from throwing for 7-10 days, per Chris Kirschner of The Athletic. Fellow righty Clarke Schmidt will take his place on the active roster.

It’s yet another blow to a Yankee relief corps that has seen its fair share of them this year. Earlier in the campaign, they lost Chad Green to Tommy John surgery. In July, Michael King suffered a season-ending elbow fracture. That month also saw Miguel Castro land on the shelf due to a shoulder strain. Here in August, the club has seen Clay Holmes and Albert Abreu go on the IL due to back spasms and elbow inflammation, respectively.

Effross, 28, was acquired from the Cubs prior to the trade deadline and immediately jumped into the mix for high leverage work in the Bronx. He recorded a hold in his second appearance with the club, later tallying a save as well. Unfortunately, the club will now have to get by without him as an option, at least for a few weeks. He’s thrown 52 1/3 innings this year between Chicago and New York, registering a 2.75 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate, 6.2% walk rate and 43.1% ground ball rate.

While the loss of Effross is certainly bad news, the Yankees got good news about their bullpen elsewhere. Holmes has started throwing bullpens without physical issues, per Meredith Marakovits of the YES Network, meaning he’s on track to return soon. Miguel Castro has started throwing as well, per Marly Rivera of ESPN, and could progress to throwing a bullpen by Friday. And in non-bullpen news, Boone tells Rivera that the plan for slugger Giancarlo Stanton is to be activated from his rehab assignment on Thursday.

Yankees Transfer Luis Severino, Miguel Castro To 60-Day IL, Sign Carlos Espinal

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The Yankees announced a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, with righties Luis Severino and Miguel Castro being transferred to the 60-day injured list. Righty Clarke Schmidt was optioned to Triple-A, while another righty, Carlos Espinal, was signed to a major league contract and selected to the active roster.

Severino, 28, was placed on the injured list July 14 due to a low-grade strain of his right lat. Today’s transfer will rule him out until 60 days from that initial placement, which would be mid-September at the earliest.  That absence is longer than most expected, and the Yankees did not reveal Severino’s timeline until after making their acquisition of Frankie Montas official.  Severino could still be a factor for the Yankees in the postseason.  Severino played catch on the field today, reports MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch.

Severino, 29 in February, pitched only 18 regular season innings in the Majors from 2019-21 due to a lat strain and a drawn-out recovery from Tommy John surgery that included a shoulder injury of its own.  Until this current lat strain, 2022 had marked a return to health and form for Severino, who has a 3.45 ERA in 16 starts.  The Yankees will be weighing his $15MM club option after the season.  Castro, acquired from the Mets in an April trade, pitched acceptably in lower-leverage work out of the Yankees’ pen before straining his shoulder.

Espinal, listed at 5’11” and 175 pounds, has never gotten attention from prospect experts but has demonstrated the ability to miss bats at the Double-A level.  After only a trio of appearances at Triple-A, he’s now on the cusp of his Major League debut at age 25.  Schmidt was unscored-upon over his last seven innings, but after throwing 52 pitches on Tuesday perhaps the Yankees preferred a fresher arm in the short-term.  Espinal can help bridge the gap as the Yankees wait for a pair of new bullpen additions to make their way to New York: Scott Effross, acquired from the Cubs, and Lou Trivino, added from the A’s in the Montas deal.

Yankees Place Miguel Castro On 15-Day Injured List

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The Yankees placed right-hander Miguel Castro on the 15-day injured list due to a right shoulder strain.  The placement is retroactive to July 13.  To fill the open roster spot, New York called up outfielder Tim Locastro from Triple-A.

The injury will sideline Castro well beyond the 15-day minimum, as manager Aaron Boone told The Athletic’s Lindsey Adler and other reporters that Castro will likely be shut down from throwing for four weeks.  Counting the ramp-up and rehab time necessary after that shutdown period, it doesn’t look like Castro will be back in the Yankees’ bullpen until September, assuming his recovery goes smoothly.

It’s a tough break for both Castro and the Yankees, as the 27-year-old has posted some respectable numbers in his first season in the Bronx.  Acquired from the Mets for Joely Rodriguez just prior to Opening Day, Castro has a 4.00 ERA, 46.6% grounder rate, and an above-average 24.8% strikeout rate over 27 relief innings.  As has been the case for much of his career, walks have been an issue for Castro, but his 10.7% walk rate (while only the 18th percentile of all pitchers this season) is actually his best number since 2017.

Looking at other Yankee relievers on the IL, Zack Britton is expected to return from Tommy John surgery rehab in September, while righty Ron Marinaccio (shoulder inflammation) could be back for the start of the second half.  New York was already expected to explore pitching options prior to the trade deadline, with both starting and relief candidates likely on the radar.

Yankees Outright Ryan Weber

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TODAY: The Yankees outrighted Weber to Triple-A

JULY 6: The Yankees announced Wednesday that right-hander Ryan Weber has been designated for assignment. His spot on the roster will go to righty Miguel Castro, who’s been reinstated from the paternity list.

Weber, 31, appeared in just one game in his latest Yankees stint, tossing a scoreless inning of relief on just 11 pitches. He’s totaled 4 2/3 innings of one-run ball with the Yankees this season, spending the remainder of the season with their Triple-A affiliate in Scranton. This is the second time Weber has been designated for assignment this season. He cleared waivers, elected free agency and quickly re-signed with the Yankees the first time around. It wouldn’t be a surprise at all to see the same sequence play out once again, as it’s fairly common for journeyman pitchers of Weber’s nature. (See also: Drew Hutchison in Detroit this season)

The Yankees are the seventh Major League team for which Weber has pitched since debuting with the Braves back in 2015. He’s logged big league time each season since that debut but has never appeared in more than 14 games and has maxed out at 43 Major League innings in any given season. Through 171 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, Weber has a 5.19 ERA with a well below-average 14.8% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.3% walk rate and a strong 52.9% grounder rate.

The Yankees will have a week to trade Weber, attempt to pass him through waivers or release him.

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