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Rangers Activate Jose Leclerc From Injured List

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The Rangers announced they’ve reinstated reliever José Leclerc from the 60-day injured list. He’ll be active for tonight’s contest in Detroit, potentially setting him up for his first big league appearance in two years. Texas also activated reliever Brett Martin and outfielder Steele Walker from the COVID-19 IL. Walker and left-hander Kolby Allard have been optioned to Triple-A Round Rock to free active roster space. Tyson Miller, who’d been brought up as a designated COVID substitute, was taken off the 40-man roster and returned to the minors after two appearances.

Leclerc’s return is the biggest development for the Rangers, as it marks the end of a 15-month rehab process. The right-hander underwent Tommy John surgery just before Opening Day last year, costing him a season and a half worth of action. That came on the heels of a 2020 campaign in which he was limited to two appearances because of a shoulder strain, meaning he hasn’t seen extended action since 2019.

Before the health concerns threw his career off track, Leclerc looked as if he might emerge as one of the sport’s better late-inning arms. He’s shown swing-and-miss stuff throughout his career, but he was particularly effective in 2018. Leclerc posted a 1.56 ERA in 57 2/3 innings that season, striking out an elite 38.1% of opponents with a personal-low 11.2% walk rate. The following offseason, Texas signed him to a $14.75MM guarantee to buy out a pair of potential free agent seasons.

Leclerc’s control regressed in the first year of the deal, and he pitched to an underwhelming 4.33 ERA through 68 2/3 innings. Injuries have cost him the next two and a half seasons, but he’ll finally step back into the bullpen for skipper Chris Woodward. He tossed nine innings over as many appearances on a minor league rehab stint before returning to the MLB roster.

The 2022 season is the final guaranteed year of the aforementioned extension. Leclerc is making $5.25MM, and the club holds successive options for the next two seasons. They’ll have to decide on a $6MM option or a $750K buyout at the end of this year, making the next few months particularly critical for Leclerc’s long-term earning potential.

Rangers Place Glenn Otto, Mitch Garver On COVID IL

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The Rangers announced a series of roster moves today, with right-hander Glenn Otto and catcher Mitch Garver heading to the COVID-related injured list. Infielder Andy Ibanez was also optioned to Triple-A. Brad Miller has been reinstated from the injured list to take one of the open roster spots, while right-handers Tyson Miller and Jesus Tinoco have been added as “replacement players”.

The Rangers now have three players on the COVID list, as Brett Martin was sent there a few days ago. The timing is particularly unfortunate for the Rangers, as Otto was scheduled to start tonight’s contest. Instead, Matt Bush will be taking the ball in what will be an emergency bullpen game.

It’s unclear if the players have tested positive or instead have landed on the shelf due to a close contact or the presence of symptoms. Without a positive test, there’s no minimum stay on the IL. But in the case of a positive test, MLB’s 2022 health regulations stipulate a 10-day absence, though a pair of negative PCR tests and approval from a trio of medical professionals (team doctor, league-appointed doctor, MLBPA-appointed doctor) can override that 10-day requirement. The club is starting a stretch of playing ten days in a row, meaning they may need to think about Otto’s next turn through the rotation as well.

The fact that Miller and Tinoco have been announced as “replacement players” is significant. Under the 2022 health and safety protocols, commissioner Rob Manfred has sole discretion to decide whether a team’s COVID situation is significant enough to warrant such a designation. It seems that he has done so in this case. That means that Miller and Tinoco can be removed from the team’s 40-man roster at a later date without being subject to waivers.

For Garver, this will be another speed bump in a season that has had a couple of them. After going on the injured list due to a flexor strain, he returned in late May but was acting exclusively as a designated hitter or pinch hitter. It was reported a couple of weeks ago that, due to the injury limited Garver’s throwing ability, the club intended to continue putting his bat in the lineup but didn’t plan on letting him resume catching duties anytime soon, possibly for the entire season. Now on the IL, he won’t even be able to take on that limited role for the time being.

Minor MLB Transactions: 6/20/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball:

  • The Rangers announced that right-hander Tyson Miller has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Round Rock. Texas claimed the 25-year-old from the Cubs earlier this month but designated him for assignment themselves after he made just one Triple-A appearance. Miller, who has five MLB innings under his belt (all with Chicago in 2020), has pitched well up through Double-A but struggled to a 7.26 ERA at the minors’ highest level. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in the Rangers organization without taking a spot on the 40-man roster.

Rangers Claim Shaun Anderson, Designate Tyson Miller

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The Rangers announced Friday that they’ve claimed righty Shaun Anderson off waivers from the Twins and designated fellow right-hander Tyson Miller for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster.

The waiver claim brings a quick Twins tenure for Anderson to a close and shines a spotlight on a now-regrettable swap that saw Minnesota send outfielder LaMonte Wade Jr. to San Francisco in exchange for Anderson over the winter. At the time, the Twins looked to be dealing from a position of depth and taking a shot on a reliever with a tantalizing slider, but the Twins have been beset by outfield injuries this season and gotten nothing from their end of that exchange. Wade, meanwhile, has batted .257/.350/.443 in an admittedly small sample of 81 plate appearances for the Giants while missing some time with an oblique injury.

Anderson, 26, has been clobbered for 12 runs (nine earned) on 13 hits and five walks with eight punchouts in 8 2/3 innings out of the Twins’ bullpen so far in 2021. A quadriceps strain and a blister issue on his pitching hand have limited him to just four big league appearances and five outings in Triple-A. He’s been sharp in the minors, firing six scoreless innings with five punchouts and three walks.

The Rangers will be the fourth organization for Anderson, originally a third-round selection of the Red Sox back in 2016. He went from Boston to San Francisco via the Eduardo Nunez trade and had a rough showing, mostly out of the rotation, in 2019 before a more intriguing 2020 performance. Anderson tossed 15 2/3 frames last year and fanned 27 percent of his opponents while recording a gaudy 39.7 percent whiff rate on his slider.

The Twins surely hoped they’d be able to pass Anderson through waivers based on his injuries and rough showing in the big leagues so far. Doing so would’ve allowed them to keep him in Triple-A while reallocating his 40-man spot. Had Minnesota not been hit so hard by the injury bug this season, perhaps the club would’ve been able to avoid trying to pass Anderson through waivers at all, but the loss of the right-hander is yet another ramification of the team’s injuries and generally poor showing in 2021.

As for the 25-year-old Miller, he only joined the Rangers a couple weeks back via a waiver claim out of the Cubs organization. The 2016 fourth-rounder at one point was considered to be one of the better arms in a thin Cubs minor league system, but he’s limped to a 7.26 ERA in 57 Triple-A frames between 2019 and 2021.

Miller made two appearances for the Cubs last year, allowing three runs on two hits and three walks without a strikeout in five innings against the Cardinals. Miller has multiple minor league options remaining, so he could pique the interest of another pitching-hungry club. Texas has a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.

Rangers Claim Tyson Miller From Cubs

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The Rangers have claimed right-hander Tyson Miller off waivers from the Cubs.  Miller has been optioned to the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate in Round Rock.  Righty Hunter Wood was shifted from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day IL to open up a 40-man roster spot for Miller.

Miller was designated for assignment earlier this week.  A fourth-round pick for Chicago in the 2016 draft, Miller made his MLB debut last season, appearing in two games and tossing five innings for the Cubs.  He posted generally solid numbers while working his way up the organizational ladder, though Miller hasn’t fared well at Triple-A Iowa, posting a 7.33 ERA over 54 innings at the top minor league level.  The righty has mostly been used as a starter throughout his career, so Texas could deploy him in a similar capacity, or perhaps use him as a long reliever or swingman out of the bullpen.

After initially going on the 10-day IL due to right elbow discomfort on May 23, Wood’s injury has now been termed as a mild right UCL sprain.  He’ll now be sidelined until well after the All-Star break recovering, with the hope being that the mild sprain doesn’t worsen and lead to a longer-term elbow problem.  Wood signed a minor league contract with Texas this offseason and has a 3.60 ERA in his first five innings in a Rangers uniform.

Cubs Select Sergio Alcantara, Designate Tyson Miller

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The Cubs announced this afternoon they’ve selected the contract of infielder Sergio Alcántara. He’ll replace David Bote, who is headed to the 10-day injured list, on the active roster. To clear 40-man roster space, righty Tyson Miller has been designated for assignment.

Originally signed by the Diamondbacks as an international amateur, Alcántara was traded to the Tigers as part of the 2017 deal that sent J.D. Martinez to the desert. The utilityman made a brief MLB debut with Detroit last season, picking up 23 plate appearances, but the Tigers designated him for assignment over the offseason. Chicago claimed Alcántara and then passed him through outright waivers themselves.

Alcántara has begun his tenure in the Cubs organization on a tear. He’s hitting .328/.481/.459 with a pair of homers over his first 79 plate appearances at Triple-A Iowa, his first crack at the minors’ highest level. That’s a substantial improvement over the decent but unspectacular .261/.340/.317 line he’s managed over 872 career plate appearances at Double-A. Alcántara is out of minor league option years, so now that he’s back on the Cubs 40-man roster, he’ll have to stick with the big league club or again be exposed to other teams. For now, he’ll get an opportunity to fill in for Bote, who separated his left shoulder in yesterday’s game.

Miller, ranked by Baseball America over the winter as the #27 prospect in the Cubs system, made a pair of MLB appearances in 2020. He tossed five innings of three-run ball, representing his only major league experience to date. Miller has managed just a 7.33 ERA over 54 career Triple-A innings, but he’s generally been productive up through Double-A. The Cubs will have a week to trade Miller or place him on outright waivers. The 25-year-old still has a pair of option years remaining, so any acquiring club would be free to shuttle him back-and-forth between the majors and Triple-A this season and next, assuming they believe he’s worthy of a 40-man roster spot.

Minor MLB Transactions: 5/5/21

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The latest minor moves from around the game:

  • The Astros signed right-hander Ryan Eades to a minor-league contract and assigned him to Triple-A Sugar Land, per an announcement from the Skeeters. Selected by the Twins in the second round of the 2013 draft out of LSU, Eades got to the majors in 2019. Across eight games with Minnesota and Baltimore, he worked 11 1/3 relief innings of three-run ball with ten strikeouts and six walks. He hasn’t pitched since being outrighted off the Orioles’ roster at the end of that season. For his career, Eades has a 3.93 ERA with strong strikeout and walk rates (28.9% and 7.1%, respectively) in 75 2/3 Triple-A frames.
  • The Cubs reinstated righty Tyson Miller from the COVID injured list before this evening’s game against the Dodgers (via Jordan Bastian of MLB.com). Miller was optioned to Triple-A Iowa, so no change to the active roster was needed. To create 40-man roster space, Chicago transferred catcher Austin Romine to the 60-day IL. Romine suffered a significant left wrist sprain and was known to be in for an extended absence. Tony Wolters was selected to the roster to back up Willson Contreras when Romine first went down. Prospect Miguel Amaya, assigned to Double-A Tennessee, is the only other catcher on the 40-man.

Cubs Designate Steven Souza

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In between games of a doubleheader with the Cardinals, the Cubs have designated outfielder Steven Souza Jr. for assignment, the team announced.  Right-hander Tyson Miller has been recalled and will be available for tonight’s game.

Souza went 0-for-2 with two strikeouts in the first game (a 4-2 win for St. Louis), potentially ending his Cubs tenure with a .148 batting average and .591 OPS over 31 plate appearances  Souza came to Chicago on a one-year deal worth $1MM in guaranteed money during the offseason, but it has been a tough season for the outfielder, who hasn’t produced as the plate and also missed close to two weeks with a right hamstring strain.

After missing all of 2019 recovering from major knee surgery, Souza had a victory just in returning to the field this year, though he is still looking to get back to the form he displayed in his 2015-17 heyday with the Rays.  Being claimed off the DFA wire would put a new team on the hook for what remains of Souza’s prorated $1MM salary, which is only around $125K at this point and potentially worth a flier for a team in need of outfield depth.  Then again, if Souza clears waivers and is then released, an interested team could then sign him for only a prorated minimum salary, with the Cubs footing the rest of his guaranteed bill.

Cubs Promote Tyson Miller

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The Cubs are calling up righty Tyson Miller to make his Major League debut, manager David Ross announced to reporters today (Twitter link via Gordon Wittenmyer of NBC Sports Chicago). He’ll start the second game of tonight’s doubleheader against the Cardinals. That assignment could’ve gone to righty Adbert Alzolay, but he took a ball off his forearm in a recent intrasquad game, it seems. Thankfully, Alzolay escaped with just a bruise, but he’s not yet ready to take the hill for the Cubs.

Miller, 25, was Chicago’s fourth-round pick back in 2016 and has been considered to be among the better prospects in a thin Cubs system for the past couple seasons. He breezed through Double-A in 2019, pitching to a 2.56 ERA with 80 strikeouts against just 16 walks in 88 innings before being promoted to Triple-A. Things didn’t go well in the Pacific Coast League for Miller — that’s true for most pitchers — as he was ambushed for a 7.58 ERA in 48 2/3 frames. Miller was blown up for 13 long balls in that short time after surrendering just six in his 88 Double-A innings. Some of that is surely attributable to better opponents, but the Triple-A leagues used the same ball that produced MLB’s home run boom last season. (The lower minor league levels did not.)

Baseball America credits Miller with the best control of any pitching prospect in the Cubs’ system, labeling him as a potential back-end starter. He ranks 14th in the system per BA and 25th over at MLB.com. Improvements to his changeup and an added curveball helped to drive his success at Double-A last year, per BA.

Today’s outing figures to be a spot start for Miller, who is serving as the Cubs’ 29th man. He’ll be sent back to the alternate site following the outing. However, this will also serve as Miller’s first audition for a longer-term look with the team. Each of Jon Lester, Jose Quintana and Tyler Chatwood will see the guaranteed portion of their contracts conclude at season’s end — Lester has a 2021 option — so there could be opportunity for Miller and other young arms in the near future.

Cubs Add 3 To Player Pool

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The Cubs have added three players to their 60-man pool, according to Tim Stebbins of NBC Sports Chicago. Right-handers Cory Abbott and Tyson Miller and just-signed catcher Jose Lobaton are now part of the group, which consists of 57 players. They’ll head to the team’s alternate training site in South Bend, Ind.

Abbott was a second-round pick of the Cubs in 2017, and he has since climbed to the Double-A level. The 24-year-old held his own there last season in his first try, amassing 146 2/3 innings of 3.01 ERA/3.51 FIP pitching with 10.19 K/9 and 3.19 BB/9. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen recently ranked Abbott as the Cubs’ 10th-best prospect, writing that he “projects as a low-variance fifth starter.”

Miller, also 24, joined the Cubs in Round 4 of the 2016 draft. He thrived in Double-A last year with a 2.56 ERA/3.05 FIP, 8.18 K/9 and 1.84 BB/9 in 88 innings, but his Triple-A debut didn’t go nearly as well. Miller tossed 48 2/3 frames there and stumbled to a 7.58 ERA/7.17 FIP with 7.95 K/9 against 4.62 BB/9. He is Longenhagen’s 30th-ranked Cubs prospect.

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