Marlins Select Shawn Morimando
The Marlins announced they’ve selected the contract of left-hander Shawn Morimando. Right-hander Nick Neidert was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville to create active roster space, while lefty Daniel Castano was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
It’s the second time Morimando has been selected to the big league roster this season. He was added in late May but designated for assignment and ultimately passed through waivers not long thereafter. He’s spent the bulk of the campaign in Jacksonville, where he’s made nine starts. Across 44 1/3 innings, Morimando has pitched to a 4.87 ERA with worse than average strikeout and walk rates (20.5% and 10.3%, respectively). He has, however, racked up ground balls at a lofty 53.4% clip with the Jumbo Shrimp.
In addition to his one appearance with the Marlins this year, he pitched in a pair of big league games with the 2016 Indians. Morimando will be on hand as a potential multi-inning relief option tonight. The Fish were originally scheduled to hand the ball to Zach Thompson. Manager Don Mattingly told reporters (including Craig Mish of SportsGrid) that the righty fell under the weather, forcing Miami into an impromptu bullpen game.
Castano landed on the 10-day IL on June 8 with a left shoulder impingement. Today’s transfer rules him out for sixty days from that date, so he won’t be eligible to return until early August. The 26-year-old has made four starts for the Marlins this season, tossing 17 1/3 innings of 5.19 ERA/5.60 SIERA ball.
Marlins Place Jordan Holloway On 10-Day IL, Select Shawn Morimando
The Marlins have placed righty Jordan Holloway on the 10-day injured list, GM Kim Ng told the Miami Herald’s Jordan McPherson and other reporters. The Marlins will select the contract of left-hander Shawn Morimando to take Holloway’s spot on the active roster, and right-hander Elieser Hernandez will be moved to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot for Morimando.
Holloway threw one inning in last night’s 6-5 loss to the Mets, but left the game due to groin soreness. Holloway was the second of 10 Miami pitchers to take the mound during the 12-inning game, and the addition of Morimando gives the Marlins at least one more fresh arm heading into today’s action.
While Holloway’s 19.2% strikeout rate and 13.7% walk rate are both well below average, the righty has nonetheless been effective over 17 2/3 innings of work this season, posting a 2.55 ERA. Holloway’s 5.20 SIERA reflects some significant good fortune, but Holloway has avoided damage with some outstanding hard-contact numbers.
Morimando is now in line to receive his first MLB action since the 2016 season. Originally a 19th-round pick for the Indians in the 2011 draft, the lefty’s Major League resume consists of 4 2/3 innings for Cleveland in 2016. Since that cup of coffee in the Show, Morimando pitched in the Blue Jays’ farm system in 2018-19 and he had a stint in the Australian Baseball League before inking a minor league deal with Miami this past offseason.
Hernandez has only pitched in one game this season due to biceps inflammation, so the shift to the 60-day IL covers the time he has already spent on the sidelines. The right-hander has already thrown one rehab outing, and Hernandez should be in line for at least one more rehab start before being eligible for activation.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/1/18
Sunday’s minor moves…
- The Indians cleared room for Rzepczynski by releasing lefty Shawn Morimando, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com tweets. Morimando, 25, had been with the organization since it selected him in the 19th round of the 2011 draft. He ascended to Triple-A in 2016 and has since pitched to a 4.45 ERA with 6.9 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 in 242 2/3 innings at the minors’ highest level. Morimando also had a 4 2/3-inning stint with the Tribe in 2016.
Earlier moves:
- The Indians have selected the contract of left-handed reliever Marc Rzepczynski from Triple-A Columbus, per a team announcement. The club will need to create 40-man room for Rzepczynski, whom it signed to a minor league deal two weeks ago. “Scrabble” had been with the Mariners, who released him after he pitched to a 9.38 ERA with 13 hits allowed, nine walks and 10 strikeouts in 7 2/3 innings this season. In doing so, Seattle cut the cord on a player it signed to a two-year, $11MM deal entering 2017. Now, Rzepczynski’s set for his second stint in Cleveland, where he previously pitched from 2013-15. The 32-year-old, a veteran of seven major league teams, owns a 3.92 ERA with 8.5 K/9, 4.25 BB/9 and an impressive 59.7 percent groundball rate in 432 career innings. He has also held southpaw swingers to a weak .222/.295/.303 line in the bigs.
- The Yankees announced that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander David Hale from Triple-A. The 30-year-old has yo-yoed between the Yankees and their top affiliate in Scranton this season, and he has also had a stint with the Twins. Hale has combined for just eight innings between New York and Minnesota in 2018, but he has amassed 55 frames in Scranton and pitched to a 4.20 ERA with 7.11 K/9 and 2.75 BB/9.
- The Orioles announced that they’ve outrighted infielder Corban Joseph to Double-A Bowie. The club designated Joseph for assignment this week after he saw limited action in Baltimore, collecting just 10 plate appearances. The 29-year-old Joseph has spent most of this season with Bowie, where he has hit .332/.398/.534 in 281 PAs.