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Robert Dugger

Rangers Re-Sign Dominic Leone To Minor League Deal

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The Rangers announced Wednesday that they’ve re-signed veteran reliever Dominic Leone to a minor league deal after his recent release. Texas also announced the signing of righty Robert Dugger to a minor league deal and optioned lefty John King to Triple-A Round Rock. Both Leone and Dugger have been assigned to Round Rock as well.

Leone, 31, is a veteran who has pitched in the past nine major league seasons. He has a career 3.69 ERA in 353 big league games. The past few years have been remarkably inconsistent, as he posted a bloated 8.38 ERA in the shortened 2020 season, but dropped that all the way to 1.51 in 2021. Last year, it evened out at a more reasonably 4.01 mark in 49 1/3 innings with the Giants. He struck out 23.4% of batters faced last year but also walked 10.8%.

That control has long been an issue for Leone, as he hasn’t posted a walk rate below 10% since 2018. Here in spring this year, he posted a 2.16 ERA over his eight appearances, but walked eight hitters and only struck out five. He wasn’t able to get himself a roster spot and the Rangers released him a few days ago, though they’ve evidently worked out a new pact to keep him around to get some work in Triple-A and serve as depth.

As for Dugger, 27, he has appeared in each of the past four seasons, suiting up for the Marlins, Mariners, Rays and Reds. He has a 7.17 ERA in his career over 27 games and 86 2/3 innings. Though his 6.19 ERA last year is roughly in line with his previous work, he did get an encouraging bump in the strikeout department. He had only punched out 14.4% of opponents in his first three seasons but got that up to 26.4% in 16 innings last year. Then again, he only struck out 18.4% of hitters in the minors, so that bump might be small sample noise.

It’s unclear whether the Rangers view Dugger as a starter or a reliever, but he’s done his share of both over the past few years. He can perhaps give the club a bit of depth in both areas of their roster. The starting rotation is already proceeding without Jake Odorizzi and Glenn Otto, as both are dealing with injuries, while the bullpen will be without Brett Martin for much of the season due to shoulder surgery.

Reds Designate Robert Dugger For Assignment

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The Reds announced they’ve designated right-hander Robert Dugger, who had been on the 15-day injured list, for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster goes to catcher Aramis Garcia, who was activated from the 60-day injured list. To clear a spot on the active roster, Cincinnati placed outfielder TJ Friedl on the 10-day IL due to a right hamstring strain.

Dugger has bounced on and off the roster a few times this season. He began the year in the Rays organization on a minor league deal. Promoted for a May spot start, he was designated for assignment thereafter and claimed off waivers by the Reds. The Reds shuttled him between Cincinnati and Triple-A Louisville for the next few months depending on their need for a depth arm capable of throwing multiple innings. Dugger is out of minor league option years, meaning Cincinnati had to DFA him each time they wanted to take him off the big league roster.

In each instance, the 27-year-old went unclaimed on waivers. He’s made three big league appearances with Cincinnati, allowing eight runs in 10 2/3 cumulative frames. Dugger has started seven of 14 outings with the Bats, pitching to a 4.65 ERA with an 18.1% strikeout percentage and a lofty 12.1% walk rate. That includes four rehab outings, as he’s worked his way back from a seemingly minor bout of shoulder soreness.

The Reds will place Dugger on waivers again in the coming days. Assuming he goes unclaimed, he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment and test free agency. While he’s accepted each previous assignment to Louisville, he’s headed for minor league free agency at the end of the year if not on a 40-man roster. He’ll presumably find some non-roster invitations to Spring Training on the open market.

Garcia signed a minor league deal with Cincinnati last offseason. He earned the backup job behind Tyler Stephenson out of camp and was selected onto the big league roster. He’s only gotten into 46 games, though, with a sprained left middle finger costing him virtually all of the season’s second half. He’ll be active for the final two games but could find himself on the roster bubble this winter. Garcia has hit just .217/.252/.264 across 113 plate appearances during his first year in Cincinnati. He’ll be eligible for arbitration for the first time during the offseason but is a clear non-tender candidate.

Reds Planning To Select T.J. Zeuch

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As the Reds are in New York to start a three-game set with the Mets, right-hander T.J. Zeuch is with the team and expected to start Wednesday’s game, per Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Zeuch isn’t currently on the club’s 40-man roster, though the club currently has a vacancy there. Assuming they don’t add anyone between now and Wednesday, a corresponding move will only be required to add him to the active roster.

Zeuch, 27, is a former first-round pick, as the Blue Jays selected him 21st overall in 2016. He was considered one of the top 30 farmhands in Toronto’s system from 2017 to 2019 but failed to live up to his reputation in the big leagues. From 2019 to 2021, he threw 49 innings for the Jays, putting up a 4.59 ERA with substandard strikeout and walk rates of 14.1% and 10.9%, respectively, though he did get grounders at a decent 50.9% clip.

He was designated for assignment and then morphed from a bluebird into a redbird, getting traded to the Cardinals in exchange for cash considerations. He never got up to the big leagues with St. Louis, throwing 38 1/3 innings in Triple-A last year with a 4.93 ERA. This year, he got another 19 1/3 Triple-A innings but registered a ghastly 11.64 ERA in that time, getting designated for assignment and then released.

The Reds brought him aboard on a minor league deal, with Zeuch having showed improved results since. Cincy first sent him to the Arizona Complex League, letting him throw four scoreless innings over three starts there, before moving him up to Triple-A. In five starts there, he’s thrown 22 1/3 innings with a 3.63 ERA, 28.3% strikeout rate, 10.9% walk rate and 60% ground ball rate. Based on those improved results, he’ll get the call to return to the big leagues.

The Reds’ rotation had a few notable subtractions last week, as they traded both Luis Castillo and Tyler Mahle prior to the deadline. Hunter Greene was also recently placed on the injured list due to a shoulder strain. That’s created the need for some extra arms next to Mike Minor, Nick Lodolo and Graham Ashcraft in the rotation. With the club well out of contention, they can use the rest of the season to evaluate some depth arms and see what they can bring to the table. Robert Dugger got to make a start on Friday, though he’s now been placed on the IL due to right shoulder pain, with Justin Dunn being recalled in a corresponding move.

Dunn, 26, has 25 MLB starts under his belt already, all coming with the Mariners. He registered a 3.94 ERA in 102 2/3 innings but poor rate stats, getting strikeouts 20.6% of the time, walks at a 15.5% clip and grounders at a 33.7% rate. His .205 BABIP in that time likely helped him produce an ERA better than he deserved, with all advanced metrics painting a less rosy picture.

He was acquired from the Mariners as part of the offseason trade that sent Eugenio Suarez and Jesse Winker to Seattle. It was later reported that Dunn would be out for months due to shoulder troubles, though the Reds evidently knew this at the time of the trade. The righty has subsequently returned to health and has been pitching the minors. Through seven Triple-A starts this year, he has a 6.92 ERA, 17.8% strikeout rate, 12.4% walk rate and 36.9% ground ball rate. He and Zeuch will each make their Reds debuts and try to make their respective cases for sticking in the rotation this year and beyond.

Reds To Select Robert Dugger

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The Reds are planning to start right-hander Robert Dugger in tomorrow’s contest in Milwaukee, the team informed reporters (including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer). The team will need to formally select his contract before the game, but they have a pair of vacancies on the 40-man roster.

It’ll be Dugger’s first MLB start of the season. He’s made three long relief appearances, one with the Rays and two with Cincinnati. Dugger has tallied 12 innings of six-run ball over that time, striking out 17 batters against just three walks. Despite the decent numbers in his brief looks, he’s been successively designated for assignment after each of his previous appearances. That’s in large part because he’s out of minor league option years, meaning clubs have to keep him on the big league roster or take him off the 40-man entirely every time he earns a promotion.

To this point, neither Tampa Bay nor Cincinnati has been willing to give the 27-year-old an extended look. He’s functioned as something of a 14th man on each pitching staff, coming up as needed to soak up some innings but not getting a lengthier opportunity. Since the Reds claimed him off waivers from Tampa Bay in May, he’s passed through the wire unclaimed on three separate occasions. Each time, Dugger has foregone the possibility of free agency and reported to Triple-A Louisville in hopes of pitching his way back to Cincinnati.

The Texas Tech product has started 12 of his 15 Triple-A appearances on the year, tallying 58 2/3 innings. He owns a 4.30 ERA with a modest 18.3% strikeout rate and a 9.8% walk percentage. Over parts of four big league campaigns, Dugger has a 6.97 ERA in 82 2/3 frames.

Reds Outright Robert Dugger

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10:17PM: Dugger accepted the assignment to Triple-A, Bobby Nightengale reports (Twitter link).

TODAY, 3:21PM: Dugger cleared waivers and has been outrighted to the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate, according to C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic (Twitter link).  It isn’t yet known if Dugger will accept the assignment or opt for free agency.

JULY 8: The Reds have designated reliever Robert Dugger for assignment, tweets Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer. The move clears an active roster spot for closer Alexis Diaz, who has been activated from the 15-day injured list.

This DFA is the latest step in what has become a fairly predictable pattern for the right-hander. This is the fourth time he has been designated for assignment in just over two months, each time after a fairly short stay in the big leagues. He started the year by signing a minor league deal with the Rays. He had his contract selected on May 1 and threw 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty. After his first DFA of the year, he was claimed off waivers by the Reds. They, too, gave him a mop-up assignment, with Dugger getting to pitch for another three innings before his second DFA. He cleared waivers, was outrighted and then re-selected to the big league team, but got his third DFA without making an appearance. Selected yet again yesterday, Dugger tossed another 3 2/3 innings before this fourth DFA.

In total, he’s now thrown 12 MLB innings thus far this season, faring well in that small sample. He has a 4.50 ERA, 32.7% strikeout rate, 5.8% walk rate and 37.5% ground ball rate. Despite those decent results, Dugger hasn’t been granted anything beyond a very brief stay on a big league roster. Since he is out of options, the only way to replace him with a fresh arm is to send him back out into DFA limbo each time. His numbers in the minors this year aren’t quite as impressive, as he has a 5.06 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate through 48 Triple-A frames.

The Reds will have a week to trade him, pass him through outright waivers or release him. He will have the right to reject an outright assignment due to the fact that he has previously been outrighted in his career. But based on precedent, it’s possible that he clears waivers and accepts another outright assignment like he’s already done a couple of times this year.

Reds Select Robert Dugger

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The Reds announced a series of roster moves between the two games of today’s doubleheader, with Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer among those to relay the batch. Right-hander Robert Dugger has had his contract selected while catcher Mark Kolozsvary has been recalled. To make room on the active roster, reliever Luis Cessa was placed on the 15-day IL while catcher Aramis Garcia was placed on the 10-day IL. (Pitchers and position players have different minimum IL stints.) To make room for Dugger on the 40-man roster, righty Vladimir Gutierrez was transferred to the 60-day IL.

For Dugger, 27, this is the latest transaction in a season that’s been full of them. He started the season in the Rays organization on a minor league deal. He had his contracted selected on May 1, worked 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty and then was designated for assignment the next day. The Reds grabbed him off waivers and treated him similarly, using him for a three-inning appearance before handing him his second DFA of the year. He accepted an outright assignment and eventually had his contracted selected again a few days later, but then got a third DFA without getting into a game. He accepted another outright assignment and has now returned to the big leagues yet again.

In between all of those transactions, he’s managed to throw 48 innings at the Triple-A level between the Rays and the Reds. He has a 5.06 ERA with a 17.6% strikeout rate and 10% walk rate. In the big leagues, it’s been just 8 1/3 frames with a 6.48 ERA.

As for Gutierrez, he landed on the injured list just over a month ago due to forearm soreness. This transfer means he won’t be eligible to return until 60 days from that initial placement, which would be early August. He recently started ramping up by throwing batting practice but evidently suffered some kind of setback. Manager David Bell relayed the news to Goldsmith recently. Though the severity of the setback is unclear, Gutierrez evidently isn’t close to returning to action.

Garcia’s IL placement is due to a finger issue that’s plagued him in recent games, whereas Cessa’s injury isn’t clear at this time. He left the first game of the doubleheader with something bothering him in his left side.

Reds’ Robert Dugger Clears Waivers, Accepts Outright Assignment

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Reds righty Robert Dugger went unclaimed on outright waivers following his second DFA of the month and has accepted another outright assignment to Triple-A Louisville, per Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).

As a player who’s previously been outrighted, Dugger could’ve rejected the assignment and ventured out into free agency. However, after a whirlwind series of transactions that’s seen him thrice designated for assignment this month alone, he’ll opt for the more stable route and head to Louisville in hopes of a swift return to the big leagues.

Dugger, 26, opened the season in the Rays organization after signing a minor league deal in late March. He was selected to the big league roster on May 1 and promptly gave Tampa Bay 5 1/3 innings of long relief (eight hits, three runs, no walks, seven strikeouts), only to be designated for assignment the following day. The Reds claimed Dugger and deployed him for three innings of long relief themselves (three runs, five hits, one walk, five punchouts). Again, Dugger was designated for assignment the following day. Cincinnati added him to the 40-man roster a second time on May 12 but designated him for assignment a third time on May 14, before he’d appeared in a game.

An 18th-round pick of the Mariners back in 2016, Dugger has spent parts of the past four seasons in the Majors but never appeared in more than a dozen games in any given season. He’s been hit hard in 79 Major League frames, evidenced by a 7.29 ERA, and his Triple-A track record is spotty as well. Dugger posted solid numbers up through the Double-A level, however, and scouting reports during his prospect days credited him with a pair of average or better breaking balls and above-average command. He’s intrigued enough that four teams have now put him on a 40-man roster over the past four seasons — Marlins, Mariners, Rays and Reds — but the righty is still searching for his first prolonged bit of success at the game’s upper levels.

Reds Select Ross Detwiler, Designate Robert Dugger

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The Reds announced that they have selected the contract of left-hander Ross Detwiler. To make room for him on the 40-man roster, righty Robert Dugger has been designated for assignment.

Detwiler, 36, has appeared in 13 MLB seasons dating back to 2007. Last year, he pitched for both the Marlins and the Padres, logging 52 1/3 frames with a 4.64 ERA. Working with a changed pitch mix, Detwiller completely altered his profile last year. Swapping out sinkers for four-seam fastballs, he sacrificed grounders but gained strikeouts. After getting worm burners above 50% for three years in a row from 2018-2020, it dropped to 39.9 in 2021. His strikeout rate, which had been around 15% for most of his career, jumped to 27.1% last year.

Signed by the Reds to a minor league deal in April, the southpaw has thrown seven innings for the Triple-A Louisville Bats. That’s obviously a tiny sample size, but he has a 3.86 ERA with a 40% ground ball rate, 21.9% strikeout rate and 15.6% walk rate. With Justin Wilson on the IL and Phillip Diehl designated for assignment last week, the club has been without a lefty in the bullpen until they added Detwiler today.

As for Dugger, this is his third time being designated for assignment in the past couple of weeks. He was selected by the Rays at the beginning of May and given 5 1/3 innings of mop-up duty just before the roster size was set to shrink from 28 to 26. After that outing, he was put on waivers and claimed by the Reds. Cincy gave him three more innings of mop-up work, designated him again, outrighted him to Triple-A and then selected his contract two days later. This time, he’s sent back out into DFA limbo without the mop-up duty, as he still just has the two appearances on the year.

Reds Place Lucas Sims On Injured List, Select Robert Dugger

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The Reds announced a series of moves in their bullpen before tonight’s game in Pittsburgh. Lucas Sims has been placed on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to yesterday, due to lower back spasms. Cincinnati selected Robert Dugger to take his spot on the roster. The Reds also optioned Dauri Moreta to Triple-A Louisville and recalled Jared Solomon.

Sims heads to the IL for the second time this year. The right-hander missed the first two weeks of the season after back spasms delayed his Spring Training ramp-up work. He made it back for six games in between the IL stints but looked out of sorts. Sims has allowed seven runs, walked six batters and struck out just five during 6 2/3 frames of work. Last season’s 4.40 ERA across 47 frames wasn’t great, but he punched out an elite 39% of opponents on a hefty 14.8% swinging strike rate.

This year, the 28-year-old’s swing-and-miss numbers are way down. That’s also true of his velocity, with his fastball, slider and curveball all losing a tick or two relative to last season. It certainly seems as if he’s yet to get completely right physically, and a new bout of back spasms will keep him out for at least the next two weeks.

Dugger returns to the majors just four days after being designated for assignment. The righty cleared outright waivers and accepted an assignment to Louisville yesterday. He didn’t appear in a game for the Bats before quickly being called back up. Cincinnati never filled Dugger’s 40-man roster spot after designating him and also removed COVID substitute Ronnie Dawson from the roster earlier this week; their 40-man tally now sits at 39.

During his first MLB stint with the Reds, Dugger made just one appearance. He soaked up three innings of relief, but that workload knocked him out of commission for a few days. Because he’s out of minor league option years, the Reds then removed him from the 40-man to clear an active roster spot. That was the second time he’d found himself in that situation, as the Rays also DFA Dugger following one extended relief outing. He’ll again have to stick in the majors or be exposed to waivers now that he’s back in the big leagues.

Reds Reinstate Mike Moustakas From Injured List

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TODAY: Moustakas has already been reinstated from the IL, and Dawson was optioned back to Triple-A.  The Reds also announced that recently-designated right-hander Robert Dugger cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A. Dugger has accepted the outright assignment, the team announced Wednesday.

MAY 9: The Reds announced to reporters, including Charlie Goldsmith of the Cincinnati Enquirer, that Mike Moustakas has been placed on the injured list. No designation was given for Moustakas’ placement, which suggests he will be on the Covid-related injured list. Outfielder Ronnie Dawson has been called up as a substitute player.

The Reds have had a series of players go on the Covid list in the past week, with Moustakas now joining Joey Votto and Nick Senzel. Tyler Naquin was also in that category but was able to return a few days ago. The team didn’t specify whether Moustakas tested positive, has virus-like symptoms, or was exposed to someone who tested positive. Under the league’s 2022 health-and-safety protocols, players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence from the club, though it’s possible to be reinstated in less time if the player has gone 24 or more hours without a fever, received a pair of negative PCR tests, and been given approval from a team physician and the MLB/MLBPA joint committee (a panel of one league-appointed and one union-appointed physician). If Votto is “merely” dealing with symptoms, he could return in shorter order. Players who test negative can return once their symptoms dissipate, so long as they’re cleared by the joint committee and the team doctor.

For Moustakas, this is his second IL stint of the season, as he missed some time in April due to a biceps strain. Since returning, he had been on a hot streak, hitting .344/.462/.531 in that small sample. But that will now be stalled by this second trip to the IL. It’s yet another frustrating development for the Reds, as the club is off to a miserable 5-23 start, thanks in part to so many players being out of action, either for Covid or otherwise.

As for Dawson, this is the second time he’s been a substitute player to help the club try to get through this outbreak. Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, the commissioner’s office has the sole discretion to determine whether a team has been sufficiently impacted by COVID to call up “substitute” players. If granted permission, the team can then return those substitutes back to Triple-A (and, if he was not previously on the 40-man, off the roster entirely) without utilizing a minor league option or passing the player through waivers.

Dawson already went through this process, being selected to the club last week but then being removed when Naquin returned. He only got into a single game while on the roster, going hitless in three plate appearances. In 28 Triple-A games this year, the 26-year-old is hitting .267/.373/.436.

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