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Mike Ohlman

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/2/18

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Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Red Sox picked up catcher Mike Ohlman from the Rangers in exchange for cash, Baseball America’s Matt Eddy reports in a comprehensive rundown of late-spring releases, trades and signings. The 27-year-old made his Major League debut with Toronto last year but collected just 13 plate appearances over the life of seven games. An 11th-round pick of the Orioles back in 2009, Ohlman has logged a respectable .758 OPS in 518 Triple-A plate appearances thus far in his minor league career. He’ll give Boston some depth behind the plate, though the Sox are largely set in that capacity with Christian Vazquez, Sandy Leon and Blake Swihart all on the 25-man roster.
  • Veteran right-hander Logan Ondrusek is joining the Dodgers on a minor league contract, per Eddy. The 33-year-old didn’t pitch professionally in 2017 but does have 277 big league innings under his belt, spanning the 2010-16 seasons. Ondrusek last appeared in the Majors with the 2016 Orioles, when he allowed seven runs in a tiny sample of 6 1/3 innings. For his career, he has a 4.03 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in the Majors, though he’s posted much better numbers in Triple-A and in Japan.
  • Eddy also notes that the Dodgers have cut ties with righty Jordan Jankowski. The 28-year-old got his first taste of the big league in 2017, tossing 4 1/3 frames for the Astros before landing with the Dodgers via waiver claim. Jankowski has averaged 11.9 strikeouts per nine innings in 177 1/3 Triple-A frames in his career, though he’s struggled with control since being selected in the 34th round of the 2012 draft as well.

AL Notes: Rays Trades, Pineda, Rangers

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Even though they’ve traded Evan Longoria, more moves should be expected for the Rays before Opening Day, writes Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Rays ownership has directed the front office to reduce payroll, and the team still projects to have a higher Opening Day payroll in 2018 (currently $83.6MM) than it did in 2017 ($70MM). There’s no indication that Tampa Bay has to cut it back to that $70MM level, nor is there a specific target that has been reported in recent weeks. But Topkin notes that the Rays are in a tough position of having to move veterans — possibly Denard Span, Jake Odorizzi, Alex Colome, Corey Dickerson or Brad Miller — while also still trying to fill out the roster. The bullpen, for instance, is lacking in experience, while Miller is projected to be the first baseman. If the Rays can clear enough cash, it stands to reason that they could reinvest some of those dollars in lower-priced options at those two positions (especially, I’d imagine, if Miller is one of the players to be jettisoned, thus creating a further opening at first base).

A bit more from around the American League as the sports world still buzzes about the Super Bowl…

  • Twins right-hander Michael Pineda tells reporters that he threw for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery yesterday, making 30 throws from a distance of 60 feet (video link via the Minneapolis Star Tribune). Pineda, who signed a two-year, $10MM contract with Minnesota, declined to specify which other clubs he considered in free agency this offseason but said the concept of joining the Twins was one that immediately interested him when presented by his agent. The big righty said his expectation is that he’ll be able to get back on the mound before the end of the season after undergoing Tommy John surgery on July 18, 2017, though obviously there’s a long road ahead of him.
  • Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram profiles a number of options for the Rangers as they head into camp uncertain about who will serve as Robinson Chirinos’ backup behind the plate. Brett Nicholas is the front-runner at this time, Wilson notes, though Juan Centeno, Jose Trevino and non-roster invitees Curt Casali and Mike Ohlman are all in the mix as well. Wilson notes that if the decision were to be made on defense alone, the organization would go with the 25-year-old Trevino, who many with the organization feel could be a plus MLB defender now. But, Trevino’s offense cratered in Double-A last year (.241/.275/.323) after a very good 2016 season in Class-A Advanced (.303/.342/.434). The Rangers undoubtedly hope he can be a long-term piece for them, so they’ll likely send him to the minors to further his development.

Minor MLB Transactions: 1/9/18

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We’ll track the day’s minor transactions in this post:

  • The Rangers have picked up catcher Mike Ohlman on a minor league deal with an invite to Major League Spring Training, per FanRag’s Jon Heyman (Twitter link). The 27-year-old made his big league debut with Toronto last year but collected just 13 plate appearances over the life of seven games. An 11th-round pick of the Orioles back in 2009, Ohlman has logged a respectable .758 OPS in 518 Triple-A plate appearances thus far in his minor league career. Robinson Chirinos is slated to handle the bulk of the Rangers’ catching duties, but Ohlman will vie for a backup gig along with Juan Centeno, Brett Nicholas and Jose Trevino.

Earlier Moves

  • The Red Sox have an agreement in place with catcher Oscar Hernandez, per Alex Kolodziej of Fan Rag (via Twitter). Hernandez, 24, has spent the past few seasons in the Diamondbacks organization after landing there — and ultimately sticking — as a Rule 5 pick back in December of 2014. A well-regarded defender, Hernandez hasn’t shown enough bat yet in the minors to receive a shot at a steady job at the game’s highest level. (That also cost him his 40-man spot in Arizona.) Last year, he compiled a .197/.257/.348 slash in 255 plate appearances at Double-A. Whether Hernandez will ever get things going at the plate remains to be seen, but he should at least represent a defensively viable depth option for the Boston organization.

Minor MLB Transactions: White Sox, Blue Jays, Cardinals, Mariners

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Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.

  • The White Sox have announced that they’ve placed righty Reynaldo Lopez on the 10-day DL with a strained back. To take his place on the active roster, they’ve selected the contract of veteran righty Danny Farquhar. The extent of Lopez’s injury is unclear, although he left Thursday’s game with soreness in his ribcage, as MLB.com’s Scott Merkin notes. Farquhar pitched 35 innings in Tampa Bay’s bullpen earlier this season, posting a 4.11 ERA, 8.5 K/9 and 5.7 BB/9 before being released.
  • The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve selected the contract of lefty T.J. House, optioning lefty Tim Mayza to Triple-A Buffalo to clear space. The 27-year-old House had pitched 130 2/3 innings in Buffalo’s rotation, posting a 4.27 ERA, 7.2 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9, though he’s expected to pitch in relief in this stint in the big leagues. He appeared in the Majors with Cleveland each of the last three seasons, making 18 big-league starts in 2014.
  • The Jays also announced that they outrighted catcher Mike Ohlman to Buffalo. Ohlman was pressed into duty after a series of injuries to Jays catchers (including Russell Martin, Miguel Montero and Luke Maile) but was designated for assignment when Montero returned last week. The 26-year-old Ohlman collected 13 plate appearances with the Jays this year.
  • The Cardinals have announced that they’ve selected the contract of righty Josh Lucas, optioning fellow righty Mike Mayers (who allowed five runs against Pittsburgh yesterday) to Triple-A Memphis to clear space. The 26-year-old Lucas is a former 21st-round pick and took a slow path through the minors, but he’s generally fared well since converting to relief in 2014, and this year he’s posted a 3.34 ERA, 10.3 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9 in 56 2/3 innings with Memphis.
  • The Mariners have signed lefty Ashur Tolliver to a minor-league deal, according to an announcement from the Double-A Arkansas Travelers, to whom he’s been assigned. This will be Tolliver’s second stint with the Travelers — he briefly pitched for them last season, when they were an Angels affiliate. The Astros released Tolliver last week after he posted a 7.13 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and an alarming 8.4 BB/9 in 35 1/3 innings of relief with Triple-A Fresno. The 29-year-old has pitched brief big-league stints for Baltimore and Houston the past two seasons.
  • The Phillies have announced that they’ve outrighted righty Pedro Beato to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. They designated Beato for assignment when they selected Pedro Florimon’s contract last week. Beato pitched just once for the Phillies before heading to the DL with a hamstring strain. He’s posted a 3.65 ERA, 6.9 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9 in 49 1/3 innings in Lehigh Valley’s bullpen this year.
  • The Athletics have outrighted righty Zach Neal, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. The A’s designated Neal on Wednesday when they added lefty Sam Moll to their roster. The 28-year-old Neal struggled in 14 2/3 innings with the big club, posting a 7.98 ERA and five home runs allowed, albeit with ten strikeouts and just one walk. He has pitched 74 innings this year for Triple-A Nashville (including making 12 starts), with a 4.99 ERA and just 4.3 K/9, although with a very good 1.0 BB/9.

Blue Jays Designate J.P. Howell, Mike Ohlman

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The Blue Jays announced on Wednesday that they’ve designated veteran left-hander J.P. Howell and catcher Mike Ohlman for assignment. The moves will clear roster space for right-hander Dominic Leone (activated from the bereavement list) and catcher Miguel Montero (activated from the 10-day disabled list).

Howell, 34, has been limited to 11 innings this year due to discomfort and tightness in his left shoulder. He returned earlier this month and has made three appearances since his activation, allowing a solo homer in an otherwise perfect 2 1/3 innings of work (with one strikeout). Overall, though, he’s posted a 7.36 ERA with six punchouts against seven walks in his short time with the Jays.

Despite logging a 2.49 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 from 2013-16 with the Dodgers, Howell settled for a one-year deal worth $3MM this winter. He averaged just 85 mph on his fastball earlier this year but has added another mile or so to that total since being activated from the disabled list. Howell thrived with just an 86-87 mph average heater in L.A., so he’s had success with middling velocity in the past. He’s still owed about $754K of that $3MM guarantee through season’s end.

As for the 26-year-old Ohlman, the former Cardinals/Orioles farmhand made his MLB debut with Toronto in 2017, appearing in seven games and collecting three base knocks in 13 trips to the plate. He’s a career .245/.339/.436 hitter in 495 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Blue Jays Place Russell Martin On DL, Designate Chris Coghlan & Chris Smith

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The Blue Jays have announced that they’ve placed catcher Russell Martin on the 10-day disabled list with a left oblique strain. They’ve also designated outfielder Chris Coghlan and righty Chris Smith for assignment and selected the contracts of righty Chris Rowley and catcher Mike Ohlman.

Martin left yesterday’s game due to the oblique strain. For the season, the veteran is batting .223/.354/.381 with 12 homers and 49 walks in 329 plate appearances. Rafael Lopez figures to take over at catcher in his absence, with Ohlman, who was batting .222/.343/.418 at Triple-A Buffalo, also helping out. Martin joins two other catchers, Miguel Montero and Luke Maile, on the DL.

The 32-year-old Coghlan signed a minor-league deal with the Blue Jays in April after the Phillies released him. He batted .200/.299/.267 in brief duty with the Blue Jays before hitting the DL with a wrist injury. He was in the midst of a rehab assignment with Class A+ Dunedin.

The 28-year-old Smith has posted a 4.26 ERA, 7.1 K/9 and 1.1 BB/9 in 25 1/3 innings of relief for Buffalo this season. He made his big-league debut earlier this season, pitching five innings and allowing three runs.

The Jays signed the 26-year-old Rowley as a minor-league free agent out of West Point in 2013. After missing two years to a military assignment, he’s moved through the minors quickly, and now he’s in the midst of a strong season, posting a 2.29 ERA, 7.6 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 over 106 1/3 innings split between Buffalo and Double-A New Hampshire. He’s set to start today against the Pirates and will become the first West Point graduate to pitch in the Majors, as Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith notes.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/23/17

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Here are the latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Blue Jays announced that catcher Michael Ohlman has cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Triple-A Buffalo. Ohlman had the option to elect free agency, having been previously outrighted in his career, but he’ll return to Buffalo in hopes of another big league opportunity with the Jays. The 26-year-old went 2-for-9 in his brief MLB debut with Toronto this year, and he’s slashed a more impressive .246/.388/.594 with seven homers and three doubles through 23 Triple-A contests.

Earlier Moves

  • Right-hander Al Alburquerque has cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A Omaha, the Royals announced on Tuesday. Kansas City designated the veteran 30-year-old for assignment over the weekend after just four innings with the big league bullpen. Alburquerque has totaled just six innings in the Majors over the past two seasons after serving as a regular in the Detroit ’pen from 2013-15. The hard-throwing Alburquerque has no trouble missing bats but has long been prone to control issue as well. Alburquerque has the option to reject the assignment in favor of free agency.
  • Per an Orioles announcement, catcher Francisco Pena has been outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. The out-of-options 27-year-old has seen limited action in the majors in recent years, but has slashed .249/.295/.452 in his 1,221 career plate appearances at Triple-A. While he’s a highly regarded defender, Pena may need to boost his on-base abilities before he’ll earn a full shot at the majors.
  • The Phillies have released southpaw Mario Hollands, per Jim Salisbury of CSNPhilly.com (via Twitter). Once a promising young reliever, Hollands seemingly never fully recovered from Tommy John surgery. The 28-year-old has produced middling results in the upper minors over the past two seasons since sitting out all of 2015. This year, he has allowed a dozen walks in his 13 frames at Double-A.
  • Also hitting the open market is former Phillies righty Dalier Hinojosa, per Matt Eddy of Baseball America. The 31-year-old worked to a 1.51 ERA with 7.8 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 through 35 2/3 MLB frames in 2015-16, but clearly hadn’t convinced teams that was sustainable. Hinojosa hasn’t yet pitched this year due to a shoulder injury.
  • It seems that righty Daniel Bard is back at a career crossroads, as he has been released by the Cardinals, according to Eddy’s report. Bard, once an elite bullpen arm with the Red Sox, ran up 19 walks in 8 2/3 outings at the Double-A level as he has continued to struggle to stay in the zone.
  • The Braves released veteran minor-leaguer Blake Lalli, per BA. The 34-year-old catcher saw a bit of action at the major league level last year, but he has mostly plied his trade in the upper minors in recent seasons. He was off to a rough start at the plate this year at Triple-A, with a .167/.226/.271 batting line through 53 plate appearances.
  • Outfielder Tyler Holt has been released by the Dodgers, Eddy reports. Holt has seen action in each of the last three major league campaigns and appeared in 106 games last year with the Reds, but he’s slashing just .228/.306/.274 in 318 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. The 28-year-old was struggling badly in the upper minors with the Los Angeles organization, but will surely hope to regain some lost momentum with another organization.
  • The White Sox have snapped up righty Jake Johansen, who was released recently by the Nationals, according to Eddy. A second round pick back in 2013, Johansen had failed to make the jump to the upper minors and was cut loose after allowing eight earned runs in 11 2/3 innings at Double-A this year.
  • Veteran infielder Chris Nelson has joined the Royals on a minors deal, per Eddy. Once a semi-regular player with the Rockies, Nelson has bounced around in recent years and hasn’t seen any major league action since 2014. He spent time in 2016 at Triple-A with the Rockies organization, slashing .232/.273/.310 in 218 plate appearances.
  • Finally, the Reds have added MLB veteran Vin Mazzaro on a minors deal. He had been working in indy ball, throwing six scoreless frames for the Somerset Patriots, but will now try to crack the bigs for the ninth consecutive year. Mazzaro had a nice run with the Pirates in 2013, but has not seen much MLB action since. He did work to a 3.22 ERA over 67 Triple-A frames last year, with 5.8 K/9 and 3.6 BB/9, though obviously he didn’t convince many teams with his underlying skills.

Blue Jays Place Aaron Sanchez On 10-Day DL; Designate Mike Ohlman For Assignment

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The Blue Jays have placed right-hander Aaron Sanchez on the 10-day DL with a right middle finger laceration.  This was one of several roster moves announced (Twitter links) by the team, a list that also notably included catcher Russell Martin returning from the DL, Kevin Pillar returning from a two-game suspension, catcher Mike Ohlman being designated for assignment, outfielder Dwight Smith being optioned to Triple-A and righty Cesar Valdez receiving a promotion from Triple-A to the Major League roster.

[Updated Blue Jays depth chart at Roster Resource]

This is already Sanchez’s third DL stint of the season due to his bothersome finger, as Sanchez has also battled a blister and a split nail.  The right-hander made two starts since his most recent return, including a quality start last night against the Orioles (six IP, three ER, 93 pitches).  Sanchez said he felt “a little pain” (as per Sportsnet’s Ben Nicholson-Smith) after last night’s outing, and a few drips of blood were spotted in his first start back, a five-inning outing against the Mariners on May 14.  Manager John Gibbons told MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm and other reporters that Sanchez’s latest DL stint is due to a recurrence of the blister.

Sanchez has performed well (3.33 ERA in 24 1/3 IP) when he has been able to take the mound, though peripheral metrics hint that he has been a little fortunate.  His ERA indicators (4.92 FIP, 4.73 xFIP, 4.74 SIERA) are well above his actual ERA, and his grounder rate is down to 40%, well below his 56% career average.  Still, it’s hard to really evaluate Sanchez properly given the stop-and-start nature of his season.  Of all the injury woes that have plagued the Jays this season, Sanchez’s could be the most frustrating given the seemingly minor yet potentially long-lasting nature of blister injuries.  Gibbons said the Jays “want to knock it [the blister] out” to keep it from becoming a long-term problem for Sanchez, which would imply that Sanchez won’t be back until he and the club are completely certain that he is healed.

Martin is back after missing slightly more than the minimum 10 days while dealing with a nerve problem in his left shoulder.  The catcher bounced back from a terrible start to go on a hot streak just prior to his DL stint, and Martin has a .197/.365/.342 slash line over 96 plate appearances.

Ohlman was called up in the wake of Martin’s injury to back up Luke Maile, allowing the 26-year-old Ohlman to make his Major League debut after nine pro seasons.  Ohlman appeared in five games with the Jays (collecting his first two MLB hits in the process) after posting a .260/.348/.395 slash line over 2645 career PA in the minors with the Jays, Cardinals and Orioles organizations.

Blue Jays Place Russell Martin On 10-Day DL, Designate Casey Lawrence

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The Blue Jays have placed catcher Russell Martin on the 10-day DL, as Shi Davidi of Sportsnet.ca was among those to report (Twitter links). Mike Ohlman will come up from Triple-A to take his roster spot, with the club designating righty Casey Lawrence for assignment to open a 40-man spot.

Martin is dealing with a nerve problem in his left shoulder that has been an ongoing issue since the spring, per the report. Though he has obviously been playing through it thus far, a recent collision made things worse and evidently pushed the team to give him a lengthier rest.

While it seems reasonable to hope that Martin won’t be out for long, the Jays will be left with a less-than-ideal situation in the interim. Ohlman will pair with Luke Maile, who was recently added via waiver claim.

The 26-year-old Ohlman is headed to the majors for the first time. He has had some strong years at the plate at times in the minors, and was off to an excellent start this year at Triple-A. Through 85 plate appearances, Ohlman is slashing .246/.388/.594 with seven home runs.

Lawrence, 29, has been utilized as an optionable swingman this year, providing some much-needed flexibility. But he had struggled through 13 1/3 innings, allowing 13 earned runs on 21 hits while recording just seven strikeouts against 11 free passes.

Cardinals Outright Harris, Rosario, Ohlman

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The Cardinals have outrighted right-handed reliever Mitch Harris and catchers Alberto Rosario and Mike Ohlman, per Rick Hummel of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

The 30-year-old Harris spent the season on the 60-day disabled list. The Cards had hoped that he could return from Tommy John surgery in June 2015 to make an impact on the roster this season, but Harris didn’t end up pitching in the Majors or minors this year. The Naval Academy product made his MLB debut last season and tossed 27 innings of 3.67 ERA ball with 5.0 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 45.1 percent ground-ball rate. In addition to the 27 frames he compiled in 2015, Harris has a 2.92 ERA with 7.2 K/9 against 3.4 BB/9 in his minor league career.

Rosario, 29, made his MLB debut this season, hitting .184/.225/.237 over the life of 41 plate appearances. He’s never hit all that much, as evidenced by his .253/.302/.327 line in parts of five Triple-A seasons, though he’s caught 42 percent of attempted base-stealers throughout his 11-year minor league career.

Ohlman, 25, is a former Orioles farmhand that spent his second season with the Cardinals organization in 2016. The 25-year-old split the 2016 season between Double-A and Triple-A, where he batted a combined .287/.344/.434. Ohlman saw 54 games/186 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this year — his first exposure to that level of competition — and fared well with the bat, hitting .280/.333/.464.

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