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Pirates Select Ji-Hwan Bae

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3:27pm: Pittsburgh formally selected Bae’s contract. Catcher Tyler Heineman has been placed on the seven-day concussion injured list to clear an active roster spot. The Pirates 40-man tally now sits at 39.

8:51am: The Pirates are set to promote infield prospect Ji-hwan Bae, as first reported by Ryan Palencer of PiratesProspects.com (Twitter link). He’ll need to have his contract formally selected to the 40-man roster, though the Pirates currently have two vacancies in that regard, so Bae’s promotion will only require a corresponding 28-man roster move.

Now 23, Bae originally planned to sign with the Braves as an international amateur in 2017, but his agreement was dissolved when the Braves were penalized in 2017 for a bevy of rule violations ono the international market. The South Korean-born Bae instead signed a $1.25MM bonus with the Pirates a year later.

Bae currently ranks 11th among Pittsburgh farmhands at MLB.com and sits 23rd on Baseball America’s midseason ranking of the system. He’s spent the entire season with the team’s Triple-A affiliate in Indianapolis, batting .289/.362/.430 with eight home runs, 23 doubles, six triples and 30 stolen bases (in 38 attempts). Bae has fanned in 16.9% of his plate appearances while walking at a 10.1% clip.

Scouting reports on Bae tout his 70-grade speed (on the 20-80 scale) and his above-average contact skills, though his eventual defensive home is rather unsettled. After spending much of his early pro career at shortstop, he’s played more second base in recent seasons and now begun to add further positions to his repertoire. The Bucs have played him primarily at second base (457 innings), shortstop (177) and in center field (161) in 2022, but he’s also had briefer looks in left field and at third base.

Bae was found guilty by a South Korean court in 2018 of assaulting his former girlfriend, and was subsequently ordered to pay a trivial sum to the victim (about $1,750 U.S. dollars, which she donated to charity). Major League Baseball conducted its own investigation into the matter, ultimately suspending Bae for 30 games of the 2019 season under the joint domestic violence, sexual assault and child abuse policy.

Pirates Designate Austin Brice For Assignment

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The Pirates have made a series of roster moves prior to tonight’s game, with right-hander Roansy Contreras being recalled to the active roster and catcher Tyler Heineman being reinstated from the injured list. To make room for those two, catcher Jose Godoy has been optioned while right-hander Austin Brice has been designated for assignment.

For Brice, 30, this is the second time this year he’s been given a brief stay on the Pirates’ roster. Signed to a minor league deal in the offseason, he had his contract selected in late June and was designated in early July. After clearing waivers and accepting an outright assignment, he was selected back to the roster last week but has again lost his spot rather quickly. In between those transactions, he’s managed to throw 6 2/3 innings for the Bucs with a 4.05 ERA.

In 34 2/3 Triple-A frames for the year, Brice has a 4.41 ERA with a 27.2% strikeout rate, 8.6% walk rate and 47.8% ground ball rate. Despite those strong peripherals, the ERA is being inflated by the long ball, with Brice having allowed six in that time, a 19.4% HR/FB rate.

Brice will now be placed on waivers in the coming days, since the passing of the trade deadline eliminates the chance of any deal being made. If he clears waivers, he will be eligible to reject an outright assignment, though he forewent that right the last time he passed through waivers in July.

Pirates Select Taylor Davis

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The Pirates have announced a series of roster moves prior to today’s game. Catcher Tyler Heineman has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to a right groin strain. Left-hander Dillon Peters has been placed on the 15-day IL due to left elbow inflammation. To take those roster spots, the club has recalled lefty Eric Stout and selected catcher Taylor Davis. There was a vacancy on the club’s 40-man roster, meaning no corresponding move will be required in that regard. Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette had Davis’s promotion shortly before the team announcement.

Davis, 32, was drafted by the Cubs in 2011 and worked his way up to make his MLB debut with them in 2017. He got into just 20 MLB games with the Cubbies over the three-year stretch from 2017 to 2019. He was outrighted at the end of that season and signed a minor league deal with the Orioles. With the pandemic canceling the minor league seasons that year and Davis not getting called to the bigs, he never logged any official action. Last year, he got traded to the Pirates and added two more games to his MLB tally. He was released at the end of the year and re-signed on a minor league pact. In 35 Triple-A games this year, he’s hitting .282/.358/.320.

The Pirates have dealt with some attrition behind the plate this year, as Roberto Perez underwent season-ending surgery in May. Michael Perez was designated for assignment and traded to the Mets a few weeks ago, leaving Heineman and Jason Delay as the catching tandem. With Heineman now hitting the shelf, it seems it will be Delay and Davis, at least for the time being. The severity of Heineman’s injury isn’t known at this time.

Pirates Claim Tyler Heineman, Designate Andrew Knapp

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The Pirates have claimed catcher Tyler Heineman off waivers from the Blue Jays, per announcements from both teams. Pittsburgh designated fellow catcher Andrew Knapp for assignment in order to create space on the roster.

Heineman, 30, wasn’t formally designated for assignment on the Blue Jays, nor was it announced that he’d been placed on waivers. Toronto surely hoped to open up a 40-man roster spot by passing Heineman through waivers while still keeping him in the organization to preserve some depth, but he’ll head to Pittsburgh and join the club as the new backup to Roberto Perez now that Knapp has been designated for assignment.

Set to turn 31 next month, Heineman is in his third big league season. Originally an eighth-round pick by the Astros back in 2012, he’s become something of a journeyman, having since bounced to the Brewers, Diamondbacks, Phillies, Marlins, Giants, Cardinals and Jays organizations. Heineman logged big league time with the ’19 Marlins and ’20 Giants and, in 78 career Major League plate appearances, is a .221/.284/.324 hitter. As one would expect, his work in Triple-A has been considerably better; the switch-hitting Heineman carries a .283/.350/.413 batting line in 1163 plate appearances.

Defensively, Heineman ought to provide the Bucs with a solid glove. He’s nabbed 38% of runners who’ve attempted to steal against him in his professional career, and Baseball Prospectus credits him with above-average framing marks and average marks on blocking pitches in the dirt.

As for Knapp, the longtime Phillies backstop inked a Major League contract with the Pirates during Spring Training but simply didn’t provide the team with enough offense to keep his spot on the roster. Chances were limited — such is the life of a backup catcher — but in 35 plate appearances, Knapp slashed just .129/.229/.161. His career .210/.310/.315 line is a good bit better than that, but the Pirates will hope for more immediate production out of the well-traveled Heineman.

Pittsburgh will have a week to trade Knapp, place him on outright waivers or release him.

Blue Jays Activate Hyun Jin Ryu, Danny Jansen

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The Blue Jays announced a series of roster moves today, with lefty Hyun Jin Ryu and catcher Danny Jansen being activated from the injured list. In corresponding moves, catcher Tyler Heineman and righty Trent Thornton have been optioned to Triple-A Buffalo.

Ryu was only able to make two starts this year before elbow inflammation landed him on the IL. Both of them were poor outings, with Ryu allowing at least five earned runs in each. The Jays are surely hoping that Ryu can bounce back so that those results can be chalked up to the injury. In 169 innings last year, Ryu had a 4.37 ERA, with a diminished 20.4% strikeout rate but strong walk rate of 5.3%. His return to the rotation should bump Ross Stripling back into a long relief role in the bullpen, a role that Thornton had been filling in the interim.

Jansen’s season got off to a great start before an oblique injury put him on the shelf. In a tiny sample of three games, Jansen hit a couple of home runs and was slashing .571/.625/1.571 to start the season. Last year, he hit .223/.299/.473, wRC+ of 105 in 70 games. With Heineman’s option and Jansen’s activation, the club is still rolling with a three-catcher setup, as Jansen joins Alejandro Kirk and Zack Collins on the roster.

Blue Jays Place Danny Jansen On Injured List

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APRIL 12: Manager Charlie Montoyo told reporters (including Kaitlyn McGrath of the Athletic) this evening that Jansen could be out for multiple weeks.

APRIL 11: The Blue Jays announced this evening they’ve selected catcher Tyler Heineman onto the big league club. Starting backstop Danny Jansen has been placed on the 10-day injured list after dealing with some left side soreness. To create space on the 40-man roster for Heineman, outfielder Josh Palacios has been designated for assignment. Toronto also recalled southpaw Anthony Kay from Triple-A Buffalo while optioning reliever Tayler Saucedo.

Heineman returns to the bigs for the first time since 2020. He played with the Marlins and Giants between 2019-20, picking up 62 cumulative plate appearances in 20 games. The switch-hitting backstop only hit .208/.288/.302 in that very brief action, but he owns a solid .284/.352/.415 line in parts of six Triple-A campaigns. Heineman managed a .264/.345/.310 showing in 41 games with the Cardinals’ and Phillies’ top affiliates last season. The UCLA product signed a minor league deal with the Jays this offseason and quickly winds up back in the majors.

Unfortunately for the Jays, that comes as a result of an injury to their primary catcher. An MRI revealed an oblique strain for Jansen, tweets Scott Mitchell of TSN Sports. The Jays didn’t provide an indication of the severity of the strain or a timetable for his return, but it’s not uncommon for oblique issues to keep a player out of action for multiple weeks.

Jansen has had an up-and-down showing offensively in the majors. The right-handed hitter popped 11 homers in just 205 plate appearances last season, finishing the year on a .310/.365/.707 tear in the final month. Jansen had been off to a hot start, collecting four hits (including a pair of homers) during last weekend’s series with the Rangers. That’ll be put on hold for the time being.

Toronto now looks set to rely on some combination of Alejandro Kirk, Zack Collins and Heineman behind the dish. All three players are currently on the active roster, but Kirk and Collins are bat-first options who could also pick up some time at designated hitter. The Jays have top prospect Gabriel Moreno at Buffalo, but he has just three games of experience there. Moreno is already on the 40-man roster, but Toronto elected to go with the veteran Heineman while giving the talented 22-year-old more regular run in the minors.

Palacios, 26, is a former fourth-round pick who was selected onto the 40-man over the 2020-21 offseason. He reached the majors for the first time last year but only appeared in 13 games after spending much of the season on the minor league injured list. Thanks to the canceled 2020 minor league campaign, Palacios hasn’t gotten extended game action since 2019 with Double-A New Hampshire.

To his credit, the lefty-hitting Palacios had a nice showing in a pitcher-friendly environment that year. He hit .266/.371/.416 with 15 stolen bases, drawing walks at a robust 13.2% clip while punching out 20.5% of the time. Palacios hit just seven home runs, though, and that lack of power has kept him from emerging as one of the top prospects in the system.

Baseball America slotted Palacios 30th in the organization this winter, writing he has enough contact skills and athleticism to function as a reserve outfield type. The Jays acquired Raimel Tapia from the Rockies in Spring Training to fill that role, seemingly pushing Palacios to the bottom of the depth chart. Nevertheless, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see another team swing a minor trade or waiver claim for the Brooklyn native. He still has a pair of option years remaining and could add some outfield depth to another organization.

Phillies Sign Tyler Heineman

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The Phillies have signed catcher Tyler Heineman to a minor league contract, according to his transactions log at MLB.com. He has been assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.

Heineman was released from a minors pact with the Cardinals last week. The switch-hitting backstop managed just a .254/.325/.313 line over 77 plate appearances with their top affiliate in Memphis. Heineman has generally been quite productive at the minors’ top level, compiling a .284/.351/.422 mark over six seasons in Triple-A.

While Heineman hasn’t seen any big league action this season, he did get to the majors in both 2019 and 2020. The 30-year-old has suited up for the Marlins and Giants, garnering 62 MLB plate appearances. The Phils have three catchers — J.T. Realmuto, Andrew Knapp and Rafael Marchan — on the 40-man roster.

Cardinals Release Tyler Heineman

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The Cardinals announced they’ve released catcher Tyler Heineman from the minor league deal he signed over the winter. (St. Louis also confirmed their previously-reported agreement with left-hander T.J. McFarland). Heineman’s contract allowed him to elect free agency if a major league opportunity opened up elsewhere, notes Jeff Jones of the Belleville News-Democrat (Twitter link). It’s not yet clear if that was the impetus for his release.

Heineman only picked up 77 plate appearances with Triple-A Memphis this season, hitting .254/.325/.313 without any home runs. The 30-year-old has typically been more productive at the minors’ highest level, evidenced by his career .284/.351/.422 line over parts of six Triple-A seasons.

That generally solid minor league work has earned Heineman brief looks in the big leagues in each of the past two years. He suited up for the 2019 Marlins and 2020 Giants, totaling 62 plate appearances.

Cardinals Sign Tyler Heineman

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The Cardinals announced they’ve signed catcher Tyler Heineman to a minor-league contract. He’ll receive an invitation to spring training.

Heineman, 29, has seen sparse major league action over the past two seasons with the Marlins and Giants. In 62 MLB plate appearances, he owns a .208/.288/.302 line. The switch-hitter boasts a much stronger .287/.353/.430 slash over parts of five seasons in Triple-A.

The St. Louis organization is facing some uncertainty behind the plate for the first time in recent memory. Franchise icon Yadier Molina is on the open market, where he’s seeing rather robust interest. Also hitting free agency is Matt Wieters, leaving Andrew Knizner as the only catcher currently on the 40-man roster. The addition of a quality depth piece on a minor-league arrangement certainly doesn’t prohibit the Cardinals from brining Molina back. If the 38-year-old were to wind up elsewhere, St. Louis would likely bring in additional names from outside the organization to work with Knizner.

Mike Foltynewicz, Jorge Bonifacio, Domingo Santana, Tyler Heineman Become Free Agents

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According to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America, 422 players became minor league free agents Monday. Hilburn-Trenkle provides the full list, but right-hander Mike Foltynewicz, outfielders Jorge Bonifacio and Domingo Santana, and catcher Tyler Heineman are among the notables.

Foltynewicz spent the previous six seasons with the Braves, and he looked like a front-line starter at times. During his best season, 2018, Foltynewicz threw 183 innings of 2.85 ERA/3.37 FIP ball with 9.93 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9. His career began coming off track the next season, though, as the Braves demoted him to Triple-A during the summer. While Foltynewicz did return to the majors and finish on a positive note, he wasn’t able to carry that momentum into 2020. The 29-year-old made just one appearance – on July 27 – gave up six earned runs in 3 1/3 innings and experienced an alarming drop in velocity, going from the 95 mph range to 90.5. The Braves then designated Foltynewicz for assignment, but no one claimed him and he spent the remainder of the year at their alternate training site.

The Indians took a $1.5MM gamble on Santana last winter after a 21-home run season with the Mariners, though he struggled in the second half of the 2019 campaign and hasn’t recovered since. He amassed 84 plate appearances as an Indian and hit a nonthreatening .157/.298/.286 with a pair of home runs. To no one’s surprise, the Indians declined the 28-year-old’s $5MM option for 2021.

Bonifacio was once a top 100 prospect with the Royals, but he has fallen on hard times since a promising start in 2017. An 80-game suspension for performance-enhancing drugs limited him in 2018, during which he offered subpar production over 270 PA, and Bonifacio took only 21 trips to the plate the next season. The Royals then released Bonifacio, who signed a minors deal with the division-rival Tigers. Though he did get back to the majors with the Tigers, the 27-year-old logged the worst production of his career, hitting .221/.277/.326 line and two homers across 94 PA.

Heineman, an ex-Marlin, became a Giant on a minors pact in January. He cracked their season-opening roster, started Game 1 and was a regular into mid-August, but he lost almost all of his playing time to Joey Bart and Chadwick Tromp from there. Heineman ended the campaign with a .190/.292/.214 line and no homers in 50 attempts.

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