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Ryan Weber

Yankees Designate Ryan Weber For Assignment

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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.

Yankees Select Ryan Weber

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The Yankees have selected the contract of right-hander Ryan Weber, per a team announcement. He’ll return to their big league roster for a second stint this season. Weber will take the roster spot of lefty JP Sears, who was optioned back to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre following last night’s game.

Weber, 31, appeared with the Yankees once this season already, logging 3 2/3 innings and allowing one run in a long relief outing. It was a one-off appearance for Weber, who was designated for assignment and elected free agency after clearing waivers. He quickly re-upped with the Yanks on a new minor league deal, however (as is fairly common for journeymen arms in this mold), and has continued to pitch well in Scranton. Through 24 2/3 frames for the RailRiders, Weber has a 2.55 ERA with an outstanding 19-to-1 K/BB ratio and a solid 47.4% ground-ball rate.

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 170 2/3 innings as a Major Leaguer, Weber has a 5.22 ERA with a well below-average 14.8% strikeout rate but an excellent 5.4% walk rate and a strong 53.2% grounder rate.

It wouldn’t be a surprise to see a similar DFA carousel play out this time around for Weber, but he’ll nevertheless pick up at least a few extra days of big league service time and (most notably for him) Major League pay. Despite appearing in parts of seven MLB seasons, Weber hasn’t yet reached three years of service and has never been arbitration eligible, so even brief Major League stints carry extra weight for him.

Yankees Re-Sign Ryan Weber To Minor League Deal

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The Yankees have re-signed righty Ryan Weber to a minor league contract, tweets Bryan Hoch of MLB.com. He’ll head to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.

Weber returns to the organization just two days after electing free agency. He’d spent the entire season in Scranton before being selected to the MLB roster last Thursday. Weber spent one day in the majors, tossing 3 2/3 innings of one-run ball in relief against the Rays, before being outrighted back off the 40-man roster. He refused a minor league assignment but quickly re-signed on a new non-roster pact. That’s not uncommon in situations like these, as the renegotiated contract can come with different terms or possible opt-out opportunities.

The 31-year-old has tossed 21 1/3 frames over eight appearances (four starts) in Scranton this season. He’s posted an impressive 2.95 ERA, compensating for a below-average 16.9% strikeout rate with a 47.1% ground-ball percentage. Weber has remarkably only walked one of 89 batters faced with the RailRiders. That’s in line with his career results, as he’s shown excellent control and grounder numbers but rarely missed many bats as a professional.

Ryan Weber Elects Free Agency

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The Yankees announced Monday that right-hander Ryan Weber rejected an outright assignment to Triple-A in favor of free agency. That indicates that Weber, who was designated for assignment last week, first went unclaimed on outright waivers. Because he’s been outrighted previously in his career, Weber had the right to reject the assignment.

New York was the sixth stop for the well-traveled Weber, a 31-year-old journeyman who’s seen at least brief Major League time in every season dating back to 2015. Though he’s never appeared in more than 18 games or topped 43 innings in a single Major League season, Weber has slowly racked up 170 2/3 innings at the game’s top level. He made just one appearance for the Yankees after being selected to their Major League roster, during which he held the Rays to one run on two hits with no walks and a strikeout in 3 2/3 frames. A solo homer to catcher Francisco Mejia proved to be his lone blemish that day.

That solid outing aside, Weber owns a career 5.22 ERA in the big leagues, generally relying on a big 53.2% grounder rate and a strong 5.4% walk rate to help offset his lack of velocity (89.1 mph average sinker) and lack of missed bats (14.8% strikeout rate, 5.9% swinging-strike rate). Weber has had some decent stretches in the big leagues and has been far more effective as a reliever (4.49 ERA in 100 1/3 innings) than as a starter (6.27 ERA in 70 1/3 frames).

Despite never finding much consistent success in the Majors, Weber has had plenty of just that down in Triple-A. The former 22nd-rounder (Braves, 2009) has appeared in parts of seven Triple-A campaigns with a 3.14 ERA, an 18% strikeout rate and a tiny 4.4% walk rate in 485 innings. That includes a sharp showing with the same Scranton affiliate to which he just refused an outright assignment; in 21 1/3 innings with the RailRiders this year, Weber posted a 2.95 ERA with a 15-to-1 K/BB ratio and a 47.1% ground-ball rate.

Yankees Designate Ryan Weber For Assignment

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The Yankees announced that they have reinstated Luis Severino from the COVID-19 injured list, with right-hander Ryan Weber being designated for assignment in a corresponding move. This is the inverse of today’s earlier transaction, where Severino went on the IL, with Weber taking his roster spot. Severino has since tested negative and rejoined the team.

Weber, 31, has worn a number of jerseys in his career, suiting up for Atlanta, Seattle, Tampa, Boston and Milwaukee before this season. This winter, he was signed by the Yankees to a minor league deal and impressed down on the farm. Through 21 1/3 innings with the RailRiders, he had a 2.95 ERA. His 16.9% strikeout in that time wasn’t stellar, though his 1.1% walk rate certainly was.

After Severino experienced viral symptoms and needed to bow out of today’s start, the Yanks called on Weber to help bail them out of the emergency situation. Weber answered the call with aplomb, throwing 3 2/3 innings against the Rays in relief tonight, allowing one earned run on two hits. The Yanks would eventually earn a walkoff 2-1 victory over their division rivals in the contest.

However, as a reward for his valiant efforts, Weber has been sent into DFA limbo. The club will have a week to trade him or put him on waivers. If he were to clear waivers, he would be able to reject an outright assignment and elect free agency as a player who has previously been outrighted in his career.

Yankees Place Luis Severino On COVID IL

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9:05pm: Boone tells reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com) that Severino has tested negative and will travel with the team to Toronto for this weekend’s series.

3:34pm: Severino has not tested positive for COVID, Boone told reporters (including Lindsey Adler of the Athletic). He’d experienced viral symptoms overnight but has improved today.

2:26pm: The Yankees have placed starter Luis Severino on the COVID-19 injured list, meaning he won’t start tonight’s ballgame against the Rays as scheduled. That assignment will go to Clarke Schmidt, while right-hander Ryan Weber has been selected onto the big league roster in Severino’s place.

Severino has pitched brilliantly in 11 turns through the rotation. He owns a 2.80 ERA across 61 innings, striking out an excellent 28.7% of batters faced while walking a mere 6.1% of opponents. It’s been a welcome development to see him back in that role after he was limited to seven MLB appearances between 2019-21. The two-time All-Star missed the bulk of the 2019 season battling lat and shoulder troubles, then he underwent Tommy John surgery in February 2020. Groin and shoulder issues cropped up during last season’s rehab process, keeping him from getting back on a major league mound until September.

Once healthy, Severino more or less picked up where he’d left off as one of the game’s top starters. He’s been part of arguably the league’s best starting staff, as the Yankees top quintet all have an ERA of 3.33 or better. Nestor Cortes, Gerrit Cole, Jordan Montgomery, Jameson Taillon and Severino have combined to start 60 of the club’s 62 ballgames, but they’ll perhaps have to dip into their depth to cover a Severino absence.

The club did not specify whether Severino has tested positive for the virus or is being scratched due to symptoms or exposure. Players who test positive are subject to a 10-day absence under the 2022 health and safety protocols, although it’s possible to return sooner if the player subsequently tests negative twice and gains clearance from a trio of medical professionals (one each appointed by the league and MLBPA, as well as the team physician). Players who experience viral symptoms but don’t test positive can return as soon as their symptoms abate.

Weber, 31, is headed to the majors for an eighth consecutive season. He’s worked as a swing player for virtually his entire career, starting 16 of his 63 appearances. A control artist who generates plenty of ground-balls, Weber doesn’t throw particularly hard or miss many bats. He’s nevertheless caught the attention of various clubs as a depth arm based on his ability to work multiple innings. Assuming he makes it into a game with the Yankees, Weber will have suited up for six different teams at the major league level.

The Florida native had cups of coffee with each of the Mariners, Red Sox and Brewers last year. He tallied a combined 9 2/3 innings of 13-run ball, bringing his career ERA up to 5.28. Weber signed a minor league deal with New York this past offseason and has spent the year with Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, working to a 2.95 mark through eight outings (four starts). He’s walked just one of the 89 batters he’s faced in the minors this year and will offer a long relief possibility for manager Aaron Boone.

Yankees Sign Ryan Weber, Manny Banuelos

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The Yankees recently signed righty Ryan Weber and southpaw Manny Bañuelos to minor league contracts, according to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America. Both pitchers were minor league free agents, allowing them to sign non-roster deals during the ongoing transactions freeze.

Weber has pitched in the big leagues in each of the past seven years. The sinkerballer has worked in a swing capacity, starting 16 of his 63 appearances and tallying 167 cumulative innings. While he’s only punched out 14.9% of batters faced at the MLB level, Weber has demonstrated excellent control (5.4% walk rate) and racked up grounders on over half the balls in play against him.

The 31-year-old only made four MLB appearances last season, although they came with three different teams. He made one outing each with the Red Sox and Brewers and pitched in a pair of games for the Mariners. Weber spent the bulk of the year with those teams’ respective Triple-A affiliates, combining for 103 1/3 frames of 4.18 ERA ball with a minuscule 3.1% walk percentage in generally hitter-friendly settings.

While Weber has the more recent MLB run of the Yankees’ two new pitching additions, Bañuelos is probably the more familiar name to much of the fanbase. Added by the Yanks as an amateur out of Mexico during the 2008-09 signing period, Bañuelos fairly quickly developed into one of the sport’s top pitching prospects. Baseball America ranked the southpaw among the game’s top 50 overall farmhands entering both the 2011 and 2012 campaigns.

Unfortunately, Bañuelos’ progress was beset by injuries as he hit the high minors. He missed the entire 2013 season recovering from Tommy John surgery and wasn’t as effective upon returning. New York traded him to the Braves in advance of the 2015 season. Bañuelos debuted with seven appearances for Atlanta that year, then didn’t pitch in the majors again until 2019 with the White Sox.

Those two seasons mark his only big league experience to date. Across 77 innings, Bañuelos owns a 6.31 ERA with subpar strikeout and walk rates (17.7% and 12.6%, respectively). He’s spent the past two seasons pitching professionally in foreign leagues, appearing in Taiwan’s Chinese Professional Baseball League and in the Mexican League. He’ll return to affiliated ball with his original organization in an attempt to get back to the majors for the first time in three years.

Mariners Outright Shed Long, Four Others

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2:55pm: In addition to Long, the Mariners announced that infielder/outfielder Sam Haggerty, righty Darren McCaughan, outfielder Marcus Wilson and righty Ryan Weber were all outrighted from the roster. Weber was able to immediately declare free agency, as this is the second outright of his career. Long and Wilson will be free agents after the postseason concludes.

Haggerty had a nice season in 2020, but in a limited sample of just 13 games and 54 plate appearances. In 2021, he got to the plate 94 times but produced a meager .186/.247/.291 line, then went on the IL at the end of May with a shoulder injury but never returned. He’ll now look to get back to health and regular playing time in the minors in order to earn his way back to the bigs.

McCaughan made his major league debut this season but only got into two games. In Triple-A, he logged 115 1/3 innings over 20 starts with an ERA of 4.53. His strikeout rate was subpar at 20.9% but his walk rate was an excellent 3.6%. He’ll remain in the organization as depth.

Wilson was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox in August but was stashed in Triple-A and has yet to make it to the show. Between the two organizations, he got 437 Triple-A plate appearances in 2021, slashing .240/.364/.421 for a wRC+ of 110.

Weber is the most experienced of the bunch, with 167 big league innings to his name, with an ERA of 5.28. In 2021, he bounced between Boston, Milwaukee and Seattle but got the most action with Tacoma, Seattle’s Triple-A team. He logged 60 1/3 innings there over 10 starts, with an ERA of 3.58, strikeout rate of 25.1% and miniscule walk rate of 0.9%.

2:05pm: Long underwent a second surgery to repair the stress reaction in his shin last week, agent Nate Heisler tells Divish (Twitter link). The bone is expected to be healed over in one to two months’ time, which should afford Long enough time to be ready for Spring Training.

1:52pm: The Mariners are performing some early roster maintenance in advance of the offseason and are set to announce that infielder/outfielder Shed Long Jr. has been outrighted from the 40-man roster, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (Twitter link). That he’s being assigned outright off the roster means he’s already cleared waivers, and Long will now be able to become a free agent this offseason.

It’s been a tough couple of seasons for the 26-year-old Long, whom Seattle acquired in the three-team swap that sent Sonny Gray from the Yankees to the Reds and outfield prospect Josh Stowers from Seattle to New York. Long played much of last season through a stress fracture in his leg before ultimately undergoing season-ending surgery. The detrimental impact of that injury lingered into 2021, ending his season on Aug. 2 and helping to limit Long to just 34 games and 121 plate appearances at the MLB level.

At the time of his acquisition, Long was a well-regarded prospect seen as a potential everyday option for Seattle at second base or perhaps in left field. He looked the part of a possible regular in his rookie campaign in ’19, posting a .263/.333/.454 batting line with five homers, a dozen doubles, a triple and three steals through 168 trips to the plate. Unfortunately, in the two years since, he’s cobbled together a paltry .184/.250/.325 output through 249 plate appearances while struggling through that pair of leg injuries.

While Long was sidelined, the ever-active Mariners front office, led by president of baseball operations Jerry Dipoto, acquired a slew of players who have now left Long as something of an odd man out in the organization. Abraham Toro and Ty France are getting regular at-bats in the infield, while the future outlook in the outfield is quite promising with Mitch Haniger, 2020 Rooke of the Year Kyle Lewis, Jarred Kelenic, Julio Rodriguez, Taylor Trammell and Jake Fraley all in the mix. The Mariners are also expected to further add to that infield mix this winter, perhaps in significant fashion, as the team looks to turn the final corner and emerge from an abbreviated rebuilding process on the heels of a surprising 90-win season

Long will hit the free-agent market at just 26 years of age and search for a new opportunity with an organization that can offer a clearer path to playing time. He’ll still have a minor league option remaining in 2022, but the fact that he went unclaimed on waivers could well mean that Long is ticketed for a minor league pact in free agency.

Mariners Claim Ryan Weber Off Waivers From Brewers

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The Mariners have claimed Ryan Weber off waivers from the Brewers, the two clubs announced. Milwaukee designated Weber for assignment earlier this week after acquiring Kyle Lobstein from the Nationals. To create 40-man roster space, Seattle designated infielder Wyatt Mathisen for assignment.

Weber’s stay in Milwaukee proved quite brief. The Brew Crew added him off waivers from the Red Sox last month, and he ultimately made just a single appearance with the team. He also pitched in one major league game with Boston, but the majority of his experience this season has come at the minors’ highest level.

Between the Red Sox’s and Brewers’ top affiliates, Weber has made nine appearances (eight starts) in Triple-A this year, working to a 5.02 ERA with an average 23.5% strikeout percentage and a strong 6.0% walk rate. The right-hander has been quite good at that level over the course of his career. In parts of six Triple-A seasons, he’s pitched to a stingy 3.08 ERA, striking out hitters at a below-average rate (17.1%) but rarely doling out free passes (5.2% walk percentage) and inducing plenty of groundballs.

To date, he hasn’t carried that success over to the major league level. While Weber’s racked up grounders at a lofty 52.8% clip over his 61 MLB appearances, he’s only managed a 5.27 ERA/4.30 SIERA thanks to a lack of missed bats. Still, the 30-year-old is capable of working as a starter or multi-inning reliever, and he can be optioned for the remainder of the season. So long as he sticks on the 40-man roster, Weber will give the Mariners front office a flexible depth option for the pitching staff.

Seattle acquired Mathisen from the Rays for cash considerations last month. He’s spent his entire Mariners tenure at Triple-A Tacoma, where he’s slumped to a .122/.302/.184 line across 63 plate appearances. That belies a generally strong track record at that level. Mathisen has hit a much better .258/.362/.491 over parts of three Triple-A seasons, but he hasn’t performed well in a brief big league look comprising 84 plate appearances between 2020-21.

The Mariners will have a week to trade Mathisen or expose him to waivers. He’s already been in DFA limbo twice this season — first with the Diamondbacks and then with Tampa Bay — and been acquired by a rival club each time. It wouldn’t be surprising if another team picks him up via small trade or waiver claim, although his most recent struggles with the Rainiers could dissuade clubs from devoting him a 40-man roster spot.

Brewers Acquire Kyle Lobstein From Nationals

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The Brewers announced they’ve acquired left-hander Kyle Lobstein from the Nationals in exchange for cash considerations. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Nashville. To create space on the 40-man roster, righty Ryan Weber was designated for assignment. Additionally, Milwaukee announced that infielder Daniel Robertson has passed through outright waivers.

Washington selected Lobstein to the roster late last month, marking his first major league action in five years. The 31-year-old made three appearances totaling 1 1/3 innings before the Nats designated him for assignment last weekend. Prior to his promotion, Lobstein had spent the year with Triple-A Rochester, where he impressively tossed 21 1/3 innings of 1.69 ERA ball, striking out a lofty 29.8% of opposing hitters against an average 9.5% walk rate.

That performance evidently intrigued the Milwaukee front office, which also has Brent Suter, Aaron Ashby, Hoby Milner and Angel Perdomo as left-handed options behind relief ace Josh Hader. Lobstein is in his final option year, so he can be shuttled between Milwaukee and Nashville for the remainder of the season if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Milwaukee claimed Weber off waivers from the Red Sox a little more than a month ago. He’s made just one appearance with the Brewers, tossing a scoreless inning of relief against the Rockies. Weber has spent more of the year at Triple-A, pitching to a 5.02 ERA with an average 23.5% strikeout rate and a stingy 6% walk percentage over 43 frames split between Boston’s and Milwaukee’s affiliates. He’s appeared in the big leagues for five teams over the past seven seasons, compiling a 5.27 ERA/4.30 SIERA at the highest level. Milwaukee will have a week to trade Weber or place him on waivers.

The Brewers signed Robertson to a one-year, $900K deal over the offseason. The right-handed hitting utiltityman didn’t produce much in a limited look, though, hitting just .164/.303/.274 across 90 plate appearances before being designated for assignment last week. As a player with between three and five years of MLB service time, Robertson has the right to reject the outright assignment in favor of free agency. Doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary, though, so he seems likelier to report to Nashville and hope to play his way back onto the big league roster before the end of the year.

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