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Shane Greene

Dodgers Designate Shane Greene For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated reliever Shane Greene for assignment (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com). The move clears active and 40-man roster space for left-hander David Price, who has been reinstated from the COVID-19 injured list.

Manager Dave Roberts told reporters this morning that Price would be activated between games of today’s twin bill against the Diamondbacks. That move costs Greene his roster spot just two days after he was brought up. The veteran reliever made a lone appearance in Dodger blue this season, tossing two scoreless innings during Sunday’s win over the Phillies.

Greene also made nine appearances for the Dodgers down the stretch last season. The 2021 campaign was a struggle, as the righty never seemed to find his footing after lingering on the free agent market into May. He originally signed with the Braves but posted just a 7.23 ERA in 23 2/3 innings between Atlanta and L.A. Greene had posted a sub-3.00 ERA in three of the prior four seasons, never missing many bats but generally throwing strikes and avoiding hard contact.

The 33-year-old signed a new minor league deal with the Dodgers during Spring Training. He’s made seven appearances with Triple-A Oklahoma City, tossing 7 2/3 frames of five-run ball with nine strikeouts and four walks. The Dodgers will presumably try to outright Greene back to the minors over the coming days, although he has more than enough service time to refuse a minor league assignment and reach free agency if he clears waivers.

Price has been out of action since contracting the virus in late April. The former Cy Young award winner has worked exclusively in relief to this point in the season. Price has appeared in five games, allowing one run in 4 2/3 innings with five strikeouts and a walk.

Dodgers Select Shane Greene, Transfer Victor Gonzalez To 60-Day IL

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The Dodgers announced a series of roster moves today, one of them being the recall of Michael Grove, which was reported yesterday. Shane Greene will also be joining the team, though he wasn’t previously on the 40-man roster. To make room on the active roster, Reyes Moronta and Garrett Cleavinger have been optioned. For Greene’s spot on the 40-man, Victor Gonzalez was transferred to the 60-day injured list.

This will be the ninth MLB season for Greene, once he gets into a game. His career has been a bit of a rollercoaster, as he’s often oscillated between good and bad seasons. After posting ERAs north of 5.00 with the Tigers in 2015 and 2016, he turned things around in 2017. Across 67 2/3 innings that year, he had a 2.66 ERA, 25.8% strikeout rate and 12% walk rate. It was a 180-degree turn the next year, as his ERA shot up above 5.00 again in 2018. The next two years, he was good again, with ERAs of 2.30 and 2.60 in 2019 and 2020, respectively. Last year, the wheel of fortune spun him around again, as his ERA went up to 7.23.

That 7.23 ERA is a bit misleading, however, as Greene didn’t sign with the Braves until May and struggled to get into a groove after missing Spring Training. He had an 8.47 ERA with Atlanta before being released in August and latching on with the Dodgers. He put up a much more palatable 4.05 ERA in Los Angeles to finish the year, though in a small sample of just 6 2/3 innings. The club brought him back into the organization on a minor league deal in March. He has a 5.87 ERA in Triple-A so far this year, though the club evidently isn’t scared off by those results in a small sample of 7 2/3 innings.

The transfer of Gonzalez doesn’t come as a shock, as he underwent arthroscopic debridement surgery on his pitching elbow recently. The 60-day clock starts from his initial placement in April, meaning he won’t be eligible to return until early June. Though the club hopes he can return at some point this season, it doesn’t seem like it will be any time soon.

Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar Will Open Season In Triple-A With Dodgers

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The Dodgers reassigned several non-roster invitees to minor league camp today, including Jake Lamb, Kevin Pillar, Tony Wolters, Shane Greene, Reyes Moronta, Tomas Telis, Stefen Romero and Eddy Alvarez.

While many minor league deals for veterans contain out clauses if they don’t make the roster, Lamb will remain with the Dodgers, per MLB.com’s Juan Toribio (Twitter link). His minor league deal does have out clauses in both May and July, Toribio adds. Similarly, The Athletic’s Fabian Ardaya tweets that Pillar passed on his first opt-out opportunity (April 2) but has other opt-out chances later in the deal.

Lamb had a huge Spring Training, going 9-for-27 with a pair of homers and three doubles, but his bid to make the roster as a corner bat off the bench will come up a bit short, at least initially. Los Angeles is going with a short three-man bench to begin the season, deferring to a slate of 16 pitchers at least early on in the wake of an abbreviated Spring Training.

Pillar, meanwhile, signed a bit later and had just two hits in 18 plate appearances, albeit one of them being a home run. He, in particular, seems like a candidate to eventually get a look as a bench option for the Dodgers, who don’t look as though they’ll carry a traditional fourth outfielder alongside backup catcher Austin Barnes, utility infielder Hanser Alberto and infielder/outfielder Edwin Rios. The recent trade of AJ Pollock thinned out the outfield mix in L.A., likely leaving Rios and infielder Gavin Lux as the backup options to Mookie Betts, Cody Bellinger and Chris Taylor across the outfield.

It’s not yet clear whether all of the players who were reassigned today will stick with the team and head to the minors, though it’s common this time of year to see veterans on non-roster deals return to the open market or, in some instances, be traded to another club that has a more clear opening for their services.

Dodgers, Shane Greene Agree To Minor League Deal

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The Dodgers have agreed to a minor league deal with veteran reliever Shane Greene, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman.  Greene returns to Chavez Ravine after inking a Major League contract with the Dodgers last August, and appearing in nine games with the Dodgers down the stretch.

That brief stint in L.A. saw Greene post a 4.05 ERA, 23.3% strikeout rate, and an ungainly 16.7% walk rate over 6 2/3 innings of work.  While nothing spectacular, it was still a big step up from Greene’s previous work last season — 17 innings out of the Braves bullpen that saw the right-hander struggle to an 8.47 ERA.

It was an unusual season overall for Greene, as his trip through free agency didn’t result in a deal of any kind until Atlanta signed him to a big league deal in May.  The lack of a proper Spring Training undoubtedly had some impact on Greene’s performance, and while this season’s abbreviated spring camps are also not exactly normal, Greene will at least get some type of regular prep time as he tries to win a job in the Los Angeles bullpen.

Greene has been a little inconsistent since becoming a full-time reliever in 2017, yet he has posted some very strong numbers when at his best.  The right-hander enjoyed very solid seasons in 2017 and 2019 while pitching with the Tigers (serving as Detroit’s closer and reaching the All-Star Game in 2019) and delivered another good year over 27 2/3 frames with Atlanta in the shortened 2020 season.  However, Greene has never been a big strikeout pitcher even in his prime, and since the advanced metrics take a dimmer view of his performance than his real-world numbers, it could explain why Greene languished for so long on the open market last offseason.

If Greene can return to his old form, the Dodgers may have found a reliable and durable bullpen arm at a relative bargain price.  L.A. has assembled quite a collection of notable relievers in camp on minors deals, as Greene joins a list that includes Reyes Moronta, Carson Fulmer, Yency Almonte, Bobby Wahl, and Sam Gaviglio.

Dodgers Designate Shane Greene For Assignment

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The Dodgers have designated right-hander Shane Greene for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for AJ Pollock, who is returning from the 10-day injured list, per a club announcement.

Greene, 32, sat out until May this season before returning to the Braves on a one-year deal. The Atlanta reunion didn’t go well, however, as the former setup man struggled to the tune of 16 runs allowed in 17 innings (8.47 ERA) before being cut loose. Greene quickly latched on with the Dodgers, and while things went a bit better in nine games, there were still some red flags. Greene allowed only three runs in 6 2/3 innings (4.05 ERA), but he also walked five batters and hit three more.

Command hasn’t typically been a major issue for Greene, who entered the season with a career 8.3 percent walk rate. However, it’s clearly been an Achilles heel this year as he’s walked 12.4 percent of his opponents and plunked 3.5 percent of them. Couple that with the fact that a heater which once averaged 95.9 mph (2017) is now clocking in at a career-low average of 93.1 mph, and it’s perhaps not entirely surprising to see Green struggling at previously unforeseen levels.

The Dodgers will now place Greene on outright waivers or release waivers within the next few days. Greene has the service time to reject an outright assignment anyhow, so this seems likely to end his time with the club. Given the limited number of days remaining on the regular-season calendar, it could also spell the end of Greene’s 2021 season. He’ll be a free agent again this offseason and perhaps look for an earlier deal so as to allow himself a full Spring Training this time around. He’ll likely have to settle for a minor league pact, but given Greene’s track record, there should be several clubs willing to take that flier on him.

Dodgers Sign Shane Greene To Major League Deal

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11:30 am: Los Angeles is indeed signing Greene to a major league contract, reports Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic (on Twitter).

11:12 am: The Dodgers are nearing agreement with free agent reliever Shane Greene on a major league contract, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 32-year-old was released by the Braves over the weekend. Greene is represented by the Ballengee Group.

Despite quality work between 2019-20, Greene remained on the free agent market over the entirety of last offseason. That was a bit surprising but perhaps explainable by the difference in the right-hander’s run prevention numbers and peripherals. Greene pitched to an elite 2.39 ERA across 90 1/3 innings between those two seasons, but that came with a slightly below-average 23.5% strikeout rate. The disconnect is even more stark when looking at 2020 alone; his ERA was a still-great 2.60, but his strikeout percentage dipped to 19.3%. Teams clearly seemed reluctant to buy into Greene as a high-end late innings option despite his success keeping runs off the board.

The 2021 season has been a disaster no matter which metric one uses to evaluate pitcher performance. Signed to a big league deal by Atlanta in May, Greene was called up in early June after spending a few weeks in Triple-A to build up arm strength. He tossed seventeen innings for the Braves but was tagged for sixteen runs (an 8.47 ERA) on 22 hits, including five homers. Greene’s 20.5% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk percentage aren’t too different from last season’s marks, but he’s seen his groundball rate fall to a career-low 30.4% and served up far too much hard contact.

Clearly, the Dodgers feel his horrible 2021 numbers to date don’t reflect that Greene’s ability to be effective has disappeared. It’s a rather limited amount of time for a pitcher who had a multi-year track record of success before this season. Greene didn’t have a typical offseason ramp-up period because of his protracted stay in free agency. Perhaps most importantly, the velocity and spin on his sinker and cutter are nearly identical between 2020 and 2021. With his raw stuff still intact, Greene could be primed for a bounceback under a new coaching staff and environment in L.A.

There’s no financial risk for the Dodgers in taking that chance. The Braves will remain on the hook for the bulk of Greene’s prorated $1.5MM salary, with the Dodgers paying the veteran just the prorated league minimum for the stretch run (which will be subtracted from Atlanta’s payroll). The 32-year-old will hit the open market again at the end of the season.

Braves Release Shane Greene

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The Braves have released Shane Greene, per Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Greene had been designated for assignment by the club earlier in the week.

The 32-year-old never really got on track this year. Despite putting up excellent numbers over 2019 and 2020, he didn’t sign with Atlanta until May, having already missed spring training and part of the regular season. He worked out in Triple-A to get himself into game shape, dealt with some back soreness and eventually got to the big league club in early June. However, the righty hasn’t been able to help the Braves much, throwing 17 innings with an ERA of 8.47, FIP of 6.77 and xFIP of 5.66. His strikeout rate of 20.5% and walk rate of 10.8% are both worse than league average.

He will now be free to sign with any team that believes he’s capable of regaining his past form. After all, he’s not far removed from a 2020 season where he threw 27 2/3 innings with an ERA of 2.60. Any club who signs him would be taking on no financial risk, as they’d only have to pay him the prorated league minimum, with Atlanta on the hook for the remainder of his prorated $1.5MM contract.

 

Braves Designate Shane Greene For Assignment

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The Braves announced that right-hander Shane Greene has been designated for assignment.  Southpaw A.J. Minter has been called up from Triple-A to take Greene’s spot on the active roster.

It has been a tough season for Greene, who didn’t land a contract in free agency until May, when he agreed to rejoin the Braves on a one-year, (prorated) $1.5MM deal.  Since Greene didn’t have a proper Spring Training, he worked out at Triple-A for a month before joining Atlanta’s bullpen, but the results simply weren’t there.  Greene posted an 8.47 ERA over 19 innings for the Braves, striking out only 20.5% of batters faced and allowing five home runs.

Greene’s strikeout ability has tended to be more “above average” than elite, yet even without a blazing fastball or a big K-rate, the 32-year-old has generally posted quality numbers out of the Tigers and Braves bullpens since the start of the 2017 season.  Atlanta first acquired Greene in a deadline deal in July 2019, and he pitched well for the club both in the regular season and in the last two postseasons — Greene had a 2.39 ERA over 90 1/3 innings with Detroit and Atlanta from 2019-20.

It isn’t out of the question that Greene can regain this form in 2022 with the benefit of a full Spring Training, though it remains to be seen if his next contract will come this winter or if another team could potentially obtain him now before his DFA period is up.  Claiming Greene would require a new team to take on his remaining 2021 salary, so the likelier move is an interested club would either work out a trade with Atlanta or just wait to see if Greene is released.  If Greene clears waivers, he might also accept an outright assignment to Triple-A and remain in the Braves organization.

Braves Recall Shane Greene

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The Braves announced this morning they’ve recalled reliever Shane Greene to make his first MLB appearance of 2021. Right-hander Jacob Webb was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett last night in a corresponding active roster move.

Greene pitched for Atlanta in the second half of 2019 and all of 2020. The 32-year-old worked to a solid 3.27 ERA/3.87 FIP in 52 1/3 innings over that time, albeit with just a 20.0% strikeout rate. After qualifying for free agency at the end of last season, Greene spent the entire offseason unsigned, with surprisingly little in the way of reported interest.

Despite the quiet free agency period, the righty maintained he planned to return to the field at some point. The Braves and Greene eventually found a mutual price, as he re-signed with Atlanta on a one-year, $1.5MM deal (prorated to between $1.1MM and $1.2MM) in early May. As part of the agreement, Greene consented to being optioned to Gwinnett to build himself into game shape.

He ultimately made four appearances with the Stripers, tossing 4 1/3 frames of one-run ball. Greene will now look to help an Atlanta bullpen that ranks just 27th in ERA (4.80) and 21st in SIERA (3.98) this season.

Braves Notes: Pache, Freeman, Greene

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The Braves announced Wednesday that outfielder Cristian Pache has been reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett. It’s the second time this year the top prospect has been sent to Gwinnett for further refinement, which isn’t a surprise given that the 22-year-old has batted just .111/.152/.206 in 68 plate appearances. Pache is considered an all-world defender with substantial upside at the plate, but his offensive game is nowhere near as polished as his defense at this point. With Pache down and Marcell Ozuna both injured and facing assault allegations, the Braves’ outfield mix is comprised by Ronald Acuna Jr., Ender Inciarte, Guillermo Heredia, Abraham Almonte and Ehire Adrianza. Top prospect Drew Waters is hitting reasonably well in Triple-A but is striking out at a rather unpalatable 28 percent clip there.

Some more news and notes out of Atlanta…

  • Braves icon (and current assistant hitting coach) Chipper Jones weighed in on Freddie Freeman’s contractual situation in a chat with The Athletic’s Jeff Schultz. Jones stresses that he’s only offering his own opinion but wonders whether the Liberty Media-owned Braves are waiting to see what 2021 attendance numbers look like before making a market-value offer to Freeman. The Hall of Famer also calls Liberty Media an “absentee owner” that is “rooted in trying to make money off the franchise” more so than conventional ownership structures. Atlanta fans will want to check out the column for Jones’ full, lengthy quotes on the matter. Freeman, 31, didn’t start the 2021 season particularly well, but he’s hitting a much more characteristic .284/.411/.527 over his past 20 games (90 plate appearances). He’s scheduled to become a free agent for the first time this winter after the $135MM contract extension he signed eight years ago draws to a close.
  • Right-hander Shane Greene’s most recent schedule appearance in Gwinnett was pushed a couple of days due to soreness in his back, manager Brian Snitker told reporters Monday (link via MLB.com’s Mark Bowman). The veteran reliever was able to take the mound yesterday for his third appearance since re-signing with Atlanta, however. Thus far, Greene has rattled off 3 1/3 shutout innings with five strikeouts and one walk allowed. Snitker noted Monday that there’s still no timetable for when Greene is expected to join the Major League bullpen. After sitting out until early May, Greene is effectively going through a makeshift Spring Training in Gwinnett right now.
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