Twins, Parker Bugg Agree To Minor League Deal
The Twins have signed reliever Parker Bugg to a minor league contract, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. He’d reached minor league free agency at the end of last season following seven years in the Marlins’ system.
Bugg, an LSU product, entered the professional ranks as a 27th-round draftee in 2016. Despite that modest draft profile, he worked his way up to Triple-A by the 2019 campaign. Bugg spent a few seasons at the top minor league levels and earned his first big league call from Miami last August. He had split the season between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, working to a 2.39 ERA across 37 2/3 combined innings at the time of his promotion. Bugg stayed on the active roster for a couple days but didn’t make it into a game before being designated for assignment and outrighted off the roster.
Upon clearing waivers, he finished the season with the Jumbo Shrimp. Bugg wrapped up his year with a solid 3.18 ERA through 39 2/3 frames of relief in Triple-A. He struck out a solid 25.9% of batters faced but walked hitters at an elevated 12% clip. All told, he owns a 4.18 ERA with a 27.4% strikeout percentage and 10.3% walk rate through 306 professional innings.
Bugg figures to open the 2023 campaign with Triple-A St. Paul. He’ll be on hand as a depth option for a Minnesota bullpen that was in the league’s middle third in both ERA and strikeout rate last season. Danny Coulombe, Oliver Ortega, Patrick Murphy and Locke St. John are among the other non-roster bullpen options who’ll be at the upper levels of the minors for the Twins’ front office.
Outrights: Garza, Bugg, Godoy
A trio of updates on some recent DFAs who have cleared waivers and will remain with their organizations…
Latest Updates
- The Pirates announced that catcher Jose Godoy accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Indianapolis. The backstop was designated for assignment over the weekend. Claimed off waivers from the Twins, Godoy appeared in five games with the Bucs. He has 52 big league plate appearances under his belt with the Mariners, Twins and Pirates over the past two seasons. He’s a .267/.320/.390 hitter in parts of three campaigns at Triple-A.
Earlier
- Right-hander Ralph Garza Jr. went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Durham by the Rays, tweets Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The 28-year-old Garza appeared in 19 games with Tampa Bay this season and pitched 35 innings of 3.34 ERA ball, albeit with a dismal 17-to-16 K/BB ratio (11.1% strikeout rate, 10.5% walk rate). He’s posted better strikeout and walk numbers down in Durham, where he carries a 2.84 ERA with a 19.4% strikeout rate against a tiny 3.2% walk rate in 25 1/3 frames. Garza has big league experience with the Astros, Twins and Rays, and he’s generally turned in solid results in the upper minors and in the Majors. It wouldn’t be a surprise to see him get another look in the big leagues before too long.
- Marlins righty Parker Bugg was assigned outright to Triple-A Jacksonville after clearing waivers, per the team’s transactions log. He’s already made his first appearance in Triple-A since passing through waivers. The 27-year-old Bugg was selected to the Major League roster on Aug. 14 but was designated for assignment just two days later and without ever getting into a game for his Major League debut. A 27th-round pick by the Fish back in 2016, Bugg has pitched to a 1.82 ERA with a 27.5% strikeout rate and 11.1% walk rate in 29 2/3 innings of Triple-A work this season. It’s his third stint at the Triple-A level for Bugg, who was hit hard there in ’19 (7.68 ERA in 36 1/3 innings), improved in ’21 (4.46 ERA, 66 2/3 innings) and is now enjoying some of the best results of his career.
Marlins Designate Parker Bugg For Assignment
The Marlins have designated reliever Parker Bugg for assignment, tweets Christina De Nicola of MLB.com. Cole Sulser has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list to take the active and 40-man roster spots.
Bugg, 27, was just selected onto the MLB club over the weekend. He didn’t wind up making it into a game, and he loses his roster spot in short order. The LSU product has spent his entire professional career in the Miami organization, entering the affiliated ranks as a 27th-round pick in 2016. He’s split this season between Double-A Pensacola and Triple-A Jacksonville, working to a 2.39 ERA across 37 2/3 innings. The righty has fanned a solid 26.7% of batters faced but walked an alarming 15.5% of opponents.
Miami will have a few days to try to run Bugg through waivers. He’s never previously been outrighted, so if he goes unclaimed, he’ll remain in the organization without requiring a spot on the 40-man roster. Bugg would be eligible for minor league free agency at the end of the season if he’s not on a 40-man.
Sulser missed a hair more than two months after straining his right lat in mid-June. An offseason acquisition from the Orioles alongside the hard-throwing Tanner Scott, he’s made 26 appearances during his first season in South Florida. Sulser has a 3.86 ERA across 23 1/3 frames, striking out an above-average 27.5% of opponents with a 10.5% walk percentage. He’ll presumably step back into the high-leverage mix for manager Don Mattingly for the stretch run.
Marlins Announce Six Roster Moves
The Marlins made a flurry of roster moves prior to today’s game, including the placement of right-hander Anthony Bender on the 15-day injured list due to a right elbow strain. Righty Tommy Nance was also optioned to Triple-A, right-hander A.J. Ladwig was designated for assignment, and right-hander Cole Sulser was moved to the 60-day IL. For new faces on Miami’s roster, the club selected the contracts of left-hander Andrew Nardi and right-hander Parker Bugg from Triple-A.
Something was clearly amiss with Bender yesterday, as he lasted only five pitches into a relief outing before having to leave the game. The severity of the elbow strain isn’t yet known, but given the timing on the baseball calendar, it is possible Bender’s season might be over even if he hasn’t suffered any notable structural damage to his elbow.
The righty already missed close to 10 weeks of the season due to a back problem, and was only just activated off the 60-day IL in early August. After a strong 2021 rookie season, Bender has still pitched well (3.26 ERA over 19 1/3 IP) this year, though his strikeouts are down and his health problems have cost him a lot of momentum. Tanner Scott has now emerged as the Marlins’ closer, but heading into the season, there was some thought that Bender could possibly assume the role, and he has the majority of save chances prior to his first injury.
Sulser was another closer candidate, except a right lat strain sent him to the IL in mid-June. The shift to the 60-man injured list is largely procedural, as the Marlins can now create 40-man roster space, and Sulser’s original timeline is still set from his initial June 13 placement date. Sulser has been rehabbing at Triple-A and might not be far away from a return.
Bugg and Nardi join the 40-man and 26-man rosters, and are now in line to make their Major League debuts. Bugg was a 27th-round pick for the Marlins in the 2016 draft, while Nardi was a 16th-round selection in 2019.
The 27-year-old Bugg has worked mostly as a reliever during his pro career, with a few opener-style starts. Now in his third season at Triple-A, Bugg is delivering good results with a 2.39 ERA in 37 2/3 innings, though his walk rate has been worryingly high. Over 131 2/3 innings at Triple-A, Bugg has a 13.64% walk rate.
Nardi is just a few days short of his 24th birthday, so this promotion counts as a very memorable early present. Control was also a problem for Nardi earlier in his career, but over the last two seasons has managed to both limit the walks and increase his strikeout totals. As a result, Nardi has now gone from A-ball in May 2021 all the way to the majors in just 15 months. MLB Pipeline ranks Nardi 30th on their list of Marlins prospects, giving 55 grades to his slider and his fastball (which usually sits in the 92-94mph range).
Since the Marlins are coming off a doubleheader with the Braves yesterday, the promotions of Bugg and Nardi give Miami a couple of fresh arms in the relief corps. This meant a quick departure for Ladwig, who was called up yesterday as the 27th man for the doubleheader. Ladwig’s brief stay did result in his first MLB appearance, as he tossed 3 1/3 innings against the World Series champs, allowing four runs. A longtime member of the Tigers organization, Ladwig signed with the Marlins in May after being released by Detroit.