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Blue Jays To Select Jacob Barnes, Alan Roden, Myles Straw

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The Blue Jays have all but officially set their Opening Day roster, as manager John Schneider told reporters (including Sportsnet’s Shi Davidi and MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson) that right-hander Jacob Barnes, and outfielders Alan Roden, Myles Straw, and Nathan Lukes will all break camp with the team.  The first three of those names aren’t on Toronto’s 40-man roster, so some 40-man space will have to be carved out so the Jays can officially select their contracts.

Barnes and Richard Lovelady (whose minor league contract was selected earlier this week) will fill two bullpen spots left open by injuries, as right-handers Erik Swanson, Zach Pop, and Ryan Burr will all start the season on the injured list.  Swanson’s recovery from a median nerve entrapment in his throwing arm might not take too much longer, as Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling writes that Swanson has started some baseball-related activities and should start throwing off a mound in another 1-2 weeks.  Pop is dealing with discomfort in his throwing elbow and Burr has shoulder fatigue, and it remains unclear if either of these injuries might require a 60-day IL stint, which would open up room on the 40-man.

Barnes is an Article XX(b) free agent, so yesterday was the first of three opt-out dates that Barnes had baked into his minor league contract.  The Blue Jays will avoid that issue entirely by placing Barnes on the Opening Day roster, putting the righty on the verge of appearing in his 10th Major League season.  The veteran will now lock in a $1.4MM salary for the 2025 campaign.

Barnes has pitched for nine different teams during his journeyman career, including a brief stint with the Jays back in 2021.  Last year with the Nationals, Barnes posted a 4.36 ERA, 19.9% strikeout rate, and 7.2% walk rate over 66 innings.

Since Daulton Varsho is starting the season on the injured list, some level of outfield depth was required to handle center field while Varsho is on the shelf.  The Blue Jays’ lack of a set DH also created extra room for more players to find their way into the lineup, so the outfield trio of Lukes, Straw, and Roden will all be heading north after competing for what seemed to be perhaps just one bench spot heading into camp.

Lukes has appeared in 51 games for the Jays over the last two seasons, and Straw is looking to revive his career after being outrighted off the Guardians’ roster.  Acquired in a controversial salary dump of a trade seemingly tied to the Blue Jays’ unsuccessful pursuit of Roki Sasaki, Toronto took on $11MM of the remaining salary owed to Straw through the 2026 season, as per the terms of the five-year, $25MM extension he signed with Cleveland in 2022.  While that money didn’t guarantee Straw a roster spot, his strong defense makes him a worthy fill-in for Varsho’s elite center field glove, so it seems like Straw and Lukes could form a platoon until Varsho is healthy.

Roden will also see some time in center field, with Schneider telling Matheson and company that Roden will be deployed in the other two outfield slots and at DH to give him a good dose of regular playing time.  Anthony Santander or George Springer could be subsequently given DH days when Roden is in the field, in order to keep the two veterans fresh.

A third-round pick for the Blue Jays in the 2022 draft, Roden will be making his Major League whenever he appears in his first game.  The outfielder hit .314/.406/.510 with nine homers over 286 plate appearances with Triple-A Buffalo last season, in the latest step of what has been something of a two-year tear through minor league pitching.  Roden then posted huge numbers in Spring Training, putting himself squarely in the picture for a roster spot.

MLB Pipeline ranks Roden as the fifth-best prospect in Toronto’s farm system, citing him as a possible leadoff hitter for the Jays as early as this season due to his advanced on-base and baserunning skills.  Roden also has some power, and has increased his exit velocity over the last two minor league seasons.  Roden is a left-handed hitter, which also helps his case to earn playing time in a Jays lineup that tilts to the right side.

Blue Jays Place Yariel Rodríguez On Injured List

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The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Yariel Rodríguez has been placed on the 15-day injured list due to thoracic spine inflammation. Right-hander Zach Pop has been recalled as the corresponding move.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet reported earlier today that Rodríguez was dealing with some back soreness, which cropped up during his start for the Jays last night. He was delayed by back spasms during the spring and Francys Romero reports that the issue is similar, adding that the righty is heading to the club’s Dunedin facilities for now.

He got over those back spasms quickly but was optioned to the minors to start the year, not having had a chance to get fully stretched out yet. He made two starts at Triple-A, throwing 6 1/3 innings, before getting called up to the majors. He has been solid in four starts at the big league level so far, with a 4.11 earned run average in 15 1/3 innings.

It’s unclear how long the Jays expect him to be out of action but it will open up yet another hole in their rotation depth. They still have a strong front four in Kevin Gausman, José Berríos, Chris Bassitt and Yusei Kikuchi but the options behind that group have been thinned. Mitch White and Wes Parsons were each squeezed off the roster and flipped to other teams. Alek Manoah and Bowden Francis are on the injured list, with Rodríguez now joining them. Prospect Ricky Tiedemann isn’t on the 40-man but he’s also hurt. A recent MRI showed no structural damage but he’s still about a week away from throwing again.

The Jays will need to figure out a fifth starter, though maybe not right away, thanks to where they are in the schedule. They have an off-day on Thursday this week, followed by two more on Monday and Thursday next week. They play six in a row from May 10 to 15 but then have another off-day on May 16. That gives them a bit of time to assess their options.

Manoah, who landed on the IL due to right shoulder inflammation, is currently on a rehab assignment but has been in poor form, with 18 earned runs allowed in 13 2/3 innings. He is starting for Triple-A Buffalo tonight and perhaps his performance will help the club make a decision about next steps. If either Francis or Rodríguez are able to return in the next two weeks or so, that could be another option, though it’s unclear if the health of either will allow for that. Paolo Espino is on the 40-man roster though he’s a 37-year-old journeyman and the Jays probably don’t want to rely on him for much more than a spot start.

For now, Pop will give the Jays another bullpen arm while they figure out their rotation plans. He has a 3.94 ERA in his big league career but struggled last year with a 6.59 ERA over 15 appearances. He’s been getting good results in Triple-A so far this year with a 1.86 ERA through 9 2/3 innings.

Blue Jays Notes: White, Bullpen, Pearson

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Blue Jays manager John Schneider told reporters today, including Keegan Matheson of MLB.com, that right-hander Mitch White is dealing with elbow inflammation. The injury seems likely to force White to start the season on the injured list, as he had already been slowed earlier this spring by a shoulder impingement.

White, 28, was acquired by Toronto in a deal with the Dodgers last summer and struggled down the stretch, posting a 7.74 ERA in 43 big league innings with the Blue Jays last year. Despite those concerning numbers, White pitched a fair bit better than they would indicate. A sky-high BABIP of .368 and a strand rate of just 54.3% during his time pitching for Toronto last year help to explain his solid 3.76 FIP even as his strikeout rate dropped to just 15.3% with the Blue Jays. White also looked better in the first half of the year with Los Angeles, posting a 3.70 ERA with a 19.8% strikeout rate in 56 innings of work for the Dodgers.

Given his success with the Dodgers and unfortunate luck in his first stint with the Blue Jays, White seemed likely to make the bullpen as the primary long relief option for the club. With that no longer feasible, Matheson notes that right-hander Zach Pop appears poised to make the Opening Day roster. Pop impressed in 39 innings of work in 2022 split between Toronto and Miami, recording a sterling 2.77 ERA largely backed up by his 2.96 FIP.

While this set-up would leave the Blue Jays without a traditional long reliever in their bullpen, Schneider seems unperturbed by this, telling reporters that both Pop and fellow righty Trevor Richards, who opened four games for the Jays last year as a spot starter, can both be options to go multiple innings if necessary.

Schneider’s comments come on the heels of another round of cuts from Blue Jays camp, including former top prospect Nate Pearson. The right-handed Pearson, now 26, missed most of the 2022 season with mononucleosis after struggling to a 5.18 ERA in 33 big league innings across the 2020 and 2021 seasons. Now a full-time reliever, Pearson figures to get another chance in the big leagues at some point this season, but that opportunity will not come on Opening Day.

Also among today’s cuts was right-hander Zach Thompson, who Toronto acquired from the Pirates earlier this offseason after pitching to a 5.18 ERA in 121 2/3 innings in a swing role for Pittsburgh last year. Thompson figures to be a depth option for the Blue Jays’s rotation this year alongside players like Thomas Hatch and Bowden Francis, who were also among today’s cuts from big league camp.

Blue Jays Acquire Edward Duran From Marlins

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The Blue Jays announced they’ve acquired minor league catcher Edward Duran from the Marlins. He’s the player to be named later in the deadline day swap that sent relievers Anthony Bass and Zach Pop to Toronto in exchange for infield prospect Jordan Groshans.

Duran was eligible to be traded even after the August 2 deadline, as he’s never occupied a spot on a 40-man roster. As MLBTR’s Steve Adams explored this month, players who have spent the entire season in the minor leagues and haven’t been added to an MLB 40-man or injured list at any point this year are still eligible to be traded.

An 18-year-old catcher, Duran signed with Miami as an amateur free agent from Venezuela before the 2021 season. The right-handed hitter has spent the past two seasons in the Dominican Summer League. He’s never appeared on an organizational prospect ranking at FanGraphs or Baseball America.

Bass has had a solid first month in Toronto, allowing only two runs in 12 1/3 innings. He’s struck out 12 while walking four. Pop has made seven MLB appearances and two in Triple-A since the trade, only allowing two runs in 6 2/3 big league frames despite striking out just one batter. Groshans, meanwhile, has raked with the Marlins top affiliate in Jacksonville. He’s hitting .342/.420/.487 with two homers in 88 plate appearances and will need to be added to Miami’s 40-man roster this offseason.

Blue Jays Acquire Zach Pop And Anthony Bass From Marlins

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The Blue Jays have announced that they have acquired relievers Zach Pop, Anthony Bass and a player to be named later from the Marlins, who will receive prospect Jordan Groshans in return.

This will be the second stint with the Blue Jays for Bass, 34, who was with them in the shortened 2020 season. That year, Bass threw 25 2/3 innings out of the Toronto bullpen, putting up an ERA of 3.51 along with a 62.3% ground ball rate, 21% strikeout rate and 9% walk rate.

He reached free agency at the end of that campaign and signed with the Marlins on a two-year deal with a club option for 2023. In the first year of that deal, he put up fairly similar numbers to 2020, but he’s found another gear this year. As noted by MLBTR’s Steve Adams recently, Bass has started throwing his slider more this season and found excellent results. In 44 2/3 frames this year, he has a miniscule 1.41 ERA with a 26% strikeout rate that’s a career high. He’s also only walking 5.8% of batters faced, which is well below league average. He’s making a $3MM salary this year, with around $1MM left to be paid out, and has a $3MM club option for next year. By picking him up, the Blue Jays are adding a veteran that they know, having a career year on an affordable contract.

Pop, on the other hand, is just 25 years old, turning 26 next month. He was originally drafted by the Dodgers but went to the Orioles in the Manny Machado trade. In the 2020 Rule 5 draft, he was selected by the Diamondbacks, who flipped him to the Marlins. A ground ball specialist, Pop stuck with the Marlins for the entire 2021 season, throwing 54 2/3 innings out of their bullpen with a 4.12 ERA, 57.6% ground ball rate, 20.7% strikeout rate and 9.8% walk rate.

Here in 2022, he’s been bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues throughout the year, having been optioned and recalled three times. In his 20 MLB innings, he has a 3.60 ERA, 63.1% ground ball rate, 16.9% strikeout rate and 2.4% walk rate. In 24 1/3 innings at Triple-A, he’s posted fairly similar results, albeit with a few more walks. He logged a full year of service time last year but will fall short of the two-year mark this season because of that time spent in the minors. That means the Jays will be able to keep him around for five more seasons beyond this one, with Pop also capable of being optioned between the majors and the minors in the future. He comes with less of a track record than Bass but is cheap and controllable.

For the Marlins, they floated around the playoff race but have fallen off in recent weeks, currently 47-56 and 8 1/2 games out of a postseason spot. They are using some of their bullpen pieces to acquire Groshans, a prospect with strong pedigree but disappointing results this year. Selected by the Jays with the 12th overall pick in the 2018 draft, he was considered one of the top 100 prospects in the sport by Baseball America from 2019 to 2021. He was limited by injuries to just 23 games in 2019 and then saw the minor league wiped out in 2020.

He got back into a groove with a fine season in 2021, hitting seven home runs and slashing .291/.367/.450 in 75 Double-A games. However, this year has been a downturn, with Groshans struggling at Triple-A. He’s always had a good approach at the plate, walking almost as much as he strikes out, and that’s still true this year. His 12.5% walk rate and 16.5% strikeout rate are both much better than average, but he’s shown absolutely no power production on the season. He has one home run in 279 plate appearances on the season, leading to a tepid slash line of .250/.348/.296, wRC+ of 82.

For Miami, they are surely hoping that Groshans’ will eventually tap into more power to combine with his keen eye and bat-to-ball skills. He’s only 22 years old and could certainly still find another gear in that department. Groshans had played mostly shortstop thus far in his career but has gradually spent more time at third, with many prospect evaluators expecting him to eventually settle in at the hot corner. If that is indeed the case, he will certainly need to tap into more power in order to be a viable big league third baseman.

For the Blue Jays, they’ve added a couple of interesting pieces to a middling bullpen as they gear up for a stretch run. For the struggling Marlins, they’ve bought low on a prospect that was once considered one of the best in the game, hoping to find some value for the future.

Shi Davidi of Sportsnet was the first to report a deal involving Pop and Groshans. Craig Mish of Sportsgrid was the first to report that Anthony Bass was also heading to the Jays. Jon Heyman of the New York Post relayed that the Jays would also get a smaller piece, which Davidi relayed as a player to be named later.

Bullpen Moves: Marlins, Cubs, Guardians

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Given the way the game is played these days, bullpens are dynamic entities constantly changing shape. Though longer injured list stints and option limits were intended to somewhat slow this ebb-and-flow of arms moving in and out, the game of musical chairs continues. Let’s check in on some of the changes being made in bullpens around the game today…

  • The Marlins have placed Louis Head on the 15-day injured list with a left shoulder impingement, recalling Zach Pop from Triple-A, per Christina De Nicola of MLB.com (via Twitter). Head’s contributions on the year haven’t necessarily been additive, as the 32-year-old reliever owns a 7.23 ERA/5.29 FIP across 23 appearances totaling 23 2/3 innings. The injury is a bit peculiar as well since it’s not his throwing arm. Pop was a Rule 5 pick from the Orioles by the Diamondbacks, whom the Marlins then acquired via trade. He appeared in 50 games for the Fish last season, pitching to a 4.12 ERA/3.77 FIP across 54 2/3 innings.
  • The Cubs have placed veteran southpaw Daniel Norris on the 15-day injured because of a finger strain. To take his roster spot, they have recalled Adrian Sampson from Triple-A, per Meghan Montemurro of The Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). Norris hasn’t had a great season, but if he’s healthy, he made draw some trade interest simply as a veteran southpaw. Currently, however, he owns a 7.24 ERA/5.73 FIP in 24 appearances covering 27 1/3 innings. Sampson has been up and down, designated for assignment, and brought back. Despite his frequent travels, he has tossed just 5 2/3 innings with the Cubs this season without giving up an earned run.
  • The Guardians have optioned Anthony Castro to Triple-A and recalled right-hander Yohan Ramirez, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com (via Twitter). Castro, 27, with his third team in three years, has slogged through eight appearances, surrendering eight earned runs in eight innings on 11 hits and seven walks to 10 strikeouts. The Guardians acquired Ramirez from the Mariners via trade for cash and a player to be named later. He made seven appearances with the Mariners, posting a 7.56 ERA across 8 1/3 innings of work.

Marlins Place Joey Wendle, Brian Anderson On Injured List

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The Marlins have placed infielders Joey Wendle and Brian Anderson on the 10-day injured list, tweets Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald. Wendle, whose placement is retroactive to yesterday, has a strained right hamstring. Anderson, whose placement is retroactive to May 28, is dealing with back spasms. In their place, Miami recalled righty Edward Cabrera and infielder Luke Williams from Triple-A. The Fish also tabbed right-hander Zach Pop as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader at Coors Field against the Rockies.

The pair of injuries suddenly leaves the Marlins without their top two options at the hot corner. Anderson has appeared in 22 games at third base and logged 77 plate appearances at the position, both of which lead the team. Wendle is second in both respects, appearing in 18 games and tallying 63 plate appearances as a third baseman. Both have spent ample time at other positions — Anderson in the outfield corners, Wendle at both middle-infield slots — and both have been productive hitters on the whole. Anderson is slashing .267/.374/.410 on the year, while Wendle has posted a .284/.340/.420 line.

Suffice it to say, it’s a notable blow for an already-struggling Marlins club that is sitting 19-27 on the season, only avoiding the NL East cellar thanks to a disastrous 18-33 Nationals team. The Marlins haven’t given a timetable on either player’s return just yet, though manager Don Mattingly will presumably provide some more info prior to the first game of today’s twin bill.

With both Wendle and Anderson shelved for at least the short term, the Marlins will likely turn to a combination of Jon Berti, the newly recalled Luke Williams and super-utilityman Willians Astudillo at the hot corner. Berti, 32, has had a productive run in his usual utility role so far this season, hitting .250/.391/.442 in 64 plate appearances. Astudillo is 3-for-11 with no strikeouts or walks (par for the course) through his first 11 turns at bat since being selected from Triple-A. Williams, acquired from the Giants in a trade late last month, has posted huge numbers in 13 Triple-A games this year but struggled there in 2021.

As the Marlins hope to weather the storm of their latest injury, they’ll give the promising young Cabrera his first big league look of the 2022 season. Long considered one of their best minor league arms and currently a consensus top-100 prospect in the sport, the 6’5″ righty struggled through seven starts in 2021 and will make his 2022 debut in an unenviable setting at Coors Field. He’s pitched 27 2/3 innings so far this season and worked to a 3.90 ERA with a sizable 33.6% strikeout rate but a bloated 12.9% walk rate.

With Jesus Luzardo currently sidelined by a forearm strain and fellow top prospects Max Meyer and Sixto Sanchez also battling health troubles in the minors, there’s an opening for Cabrera to stake his claim to a spot in the Miami rotation if he can impress. Even if today is only a one-and-done spot start due to the doubleheader, righty Elieser Hernandez has struggled in the big leagues to the point that his rotation spot shouldn’t be guaranteed moving forward. Cabrera, who averaged 96.9 mph on his heater last year and also draws praise for a potentially plus breaking ball, could figures to get a look at some point, one way or another. Across three minor league levels in 2021, the 24-year-old notched a 2.93 ERA with a gaudy 36.9% strikeout rate and a 10% walk rate.

Marlins Designate Shawn Morimando, Place Zach Pop On 10-Day Injured List

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The Marlins have designated left-hander Shawn Morimando for assignment and placed righty Zach Pop on the 10-day injured list.  Right-hander Jorge Guzman and left-hander Sean Guenther were called up from Triple-A to take the two spots on the active roster.  (MLB.com’s Christina De Nicola was among those to report the moves.)

Pop has been sidelined with soreness in the middle finger of his throwing hand, interrupting a very respectable rookie season for the 24-year-old.  Over his first 43 1/3 innings in the majors, Pop has a 4.36 ERA/4.05 SIERA, plus a 58.1% grounder rate that has continued his reputation from the minors as a groundball specialist.  The Marlins landed Pop via the Rule 5 Draft (acquiring the right-hander from the Diamondbacks after Arizona drafted him out of the Orioles’ organization), and Pop has certainly pitched well enough to remain on the MLB roster for the entire season, so Miami will retain his rights going forward.

This is the second time the Marlins have DFA’ed Morimando this season, with the first designation resulting in an outright assignment to Triple-A for the southpaw.  After making his big league debut with Cleveland in 2016, Morimando didn’t receive another MLB opportunity until this season, when he posted a 9.58 ERA over 10 1/3 innings for the Marlins.

2020 Rule 5 Draft Update

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An abnormal number of picks from the 2020 Rule 5 Draft survived Spring Training and made the Opening Day rosters with their new clubs. The Orioles and Marlins both broke camp with a pair of Rule 5 picks on the active roster, while the Pirates opened the season with one Rule 5 pick on the roster and one on the injured list. Most clubs that are carrying a Rule 5 pick, unsurprisingly, have little in the way of postseason aspirations. There are a few October hopefuls among those still clinging to Rule 5 picks, however, and it’ll take some uncharacteristically strong Rule 5 showings for those players to survive the season.

We’ll take a look at how the surviving Rule 5 draftees are faring periodically throughout the year. Here’s the first glance…

Currently in the Majors

  • Brett de Geus, RHP, Rangers (via Dodgers): Injuries throughout the Rangers’ bullpen might have helped the 23-year-old de Geus crack the Opening Day roster in Texas. He’s out to a shaky start, having walked three batters and hit another three against just two strikeouts through his first 5 2/3 innings. On the plus side, 13 of the 15 balls put into play against him have been grounders.
  • Akil Baddoo, OF, Tigers (via Twins): Baddoo is one of the best stories (maybe the best) of the young 2021 season. The 22-year-old homered on his first swing in the big leagues as his family rejoiced in the stands, and in less than two weeks’ time he’s added a grand slam, a walk-off single (against his former organization) a 450-foot dinger off Zack Greinke and a fourth homer. Baddoo has a ludicrous 1.342 OPS through his first 29 plate appearances in the Majors, and while he obviously won’t sustain that, he’s forcing a legitimate audition in the Detroit outfield. Baddoo missed nearly all of 2019 due to Tommy John surgery and didn’t play in 2020. Despite that layoff and the fact that he’d never played above A-ball, the Tigers called his name in December. It may have seemed like a stretch at the time, but it doesn’t look that way now.
  • Garrett Whitlock, RHP, Red Sox (via Yankees): The Sox would surely love for Whitlock to stick, having plucked him from their archrivals in New York. So far, so good. Better than good, in fact. Through 6 1/3 scoreless innings, Whitlock has yielded three hits and punched out nine batters without issuing a walk. He’s sitting 95.6 mph with his heater and has posted a hefty 16.9 percent swinging-strike rate. Whitlock also had Tommy John surgery in 2019, so even though he’s previously been a starter, it makes sense to monitor his workload ease him into the mix as the Sox hope to get through the year with him in the ’pen.
  • Tyler Wells, RHP, Orioles (via Twins): Wells has allowed a pair of homers and surrendered three total runs on four hits and two walks with five strikeouts in 5 2/3 frames. The O’s aren’t trying to win in 2021, but their bullpen also has four arms that can’t be optioned (Cesar Valdez, Shawn Armstrong, Adam Plutko, Wade LeBlanc). Keeping both Wells and Mac Sceroler (currently on the IL) brings them  to six and will hamper their flexibility.
  • Zach Pop and Paul Campbell, RHPs, Marlins (via Orioles and Rays): Pop was technically the D-backs’ pick in the Rule 5, but Arizona immediately flipped him to the Marlins for a PTBNL. The 24-year-old didn’t allow an earned run in five spring frames but as I was finishing this post, he served up a three-run homer, bringing his season line to seven runs on three hits, three walks and two hit batters in 3 1/3 innings. Campbell has struggled to a similar extent. He’s surrendered five runs (three earned) and given up four hits and three walks in just 2 2/3 innings. With the Marlins out of tank mode, it’ll be tough to carry both all year.
  • Jordan Sheffield, RHP, Rockies (via Dodgers): Sheffield was the No. 36 overall pick in the 2016 Draft, but control issues prevented him from being protected on the Dodgers’ 40-man roster. FanGraphs’ Eric Longenhagen gives Sheffield three plus pitches in his scouting report (fastball, curveball, changeup) but also pegs his command at a 30 on the 20-80 scale. Sheffield has walked or plunked 15 percent of the hitters he faced in the minors. He’s yet to walk anyone 13 batters he’s faced with the Rockies, but he did hit one and has also tossed a pair of wild pitches. That said, he’s also sitting 95.5 mph with his heater and is unscored upon in 3 2/3 frames.
  • Luis Oviedo, RHP, Pirates (via Indians): Oviedo was the Mets’ pick at No. 10, but they had a deal worked out to flip him to the Pirates in exchange for cash. Oviedo has been hammered for six runs on six hits (two homers) and two walks with five strikeouts through 4 2/3 innings so far. Even pitching for a tanking club, Oviedo will need to show some improvement in order to stick on the roster all season.
  • Will Vest, RHP, Mariners (via Tigers): The Mariners kept last year’s Rule 5 pick Yohan Ramirez for the whole season, but it’ll be tougher to do with a full schedule in 2021. The Mariners’ young core is also beginning to rise to the big leagues, and Vest will need to fend off some intriguing young arms. He’s done a decent job so far, allowing a pair of runs (one unearned) on five hits and four walks with five strikeouts in 7 1/3 innings.
  • Trevor Stephan, RHP, Indians (via Yankees): Stephan whiffed 16 of 44 hitters this spring to earn a spot on the Indians’ Opening Day roster, but he’s allowed four runs in his first four MLB frames. The 25-year-old has surrendered five hits (including a homer), walked a pair and hit a batter so far while facing a total of 21 hitters.
  • Ka’ai Tom, OF, Athletics (via Indians): Tom, 26, raked at a .310/.412/.552 pace with a homer, two doubles and a triple in 34 spring plate appearances. After that strong audition, however, he’s just 1-for-16 with six strikeouts through his first 16 trips to the plate with the A’s.

On the Major League injured list

  • Jose Soriano, RHP, Pirates (via Angels): It wasn’t a surprise to see Soriano open the year on the injured list. He’s still recovering from Tommy John surgery performed in Feb. 2020 and didn’t pitch in a game with the Pirates this spring. He’ll be sidelined for at least the first two months, as the Bucs put him on the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot when they signed Tyler Anderson. Soriano hasn’t pitched above A-ball, but the Pirates aren’t exactly a win-now club, so they can afford to stash him as a seldom-used bullpen piece in order to secure his rights beyond the 2021 season.
  • Mac Sceroler, RHP, Orioles (via Reds): Sceroler fanned six hitters in 3 2/3 innings early in the season but also yielded three runs on five hits (two homers), three walks and a hit batter. The Orioles recently placed him on the 10-day injured list due to tendinitis in his right shoulder, although it’s not expected to be too lengthy an absence.
  • Dedniel Nunez, RHP, Giants (via Mets): Nunez was hit hard in the Cactus League, surrendering four runs in 3 1/3 innings. He’ll now miss the entire 2021 season after sustaining a UCL tear that required Tommy John surgery this spring. Nunez will spend the season on San Francisco’s 60-day injured list and receive a year of MLB service, but he’ll still be subject to Rule 5 restrictions in 2022 once he’s healthy. He’ll need to spend at least 90 days on the MLB roster before he can be sent to the minors; if he doesn’t last that long, he’ll have to pass through waivers and, if he clears, be offered back to the Mets.

Returned to their original club

  • Jose Alberto Rivera, RHP, Angels (via Astros): The Angels didn’t take much of a look at Rivera, returning him to Houston on March 24 after just one inning of official work in Cactus League play.
  • Kyle Holder, SS, Reds (via Yankees): The Reds weren’t sure who their shortstop was going to be heading into Spring Training, but they ultimately settled on moving Eugenio Suarez back to that spot, sliding Mike Moustakas back to third base and giving prospect Jonathan India the nod at second base. A strong spring from Holder might have at least given him a bench spot behind that trio, but he hit just .219/.359/.250 in 39 plate appearances. The Reds returned him to the Yankees on March 30.
  • Gray Fenter, RHP, Cubs (via Orioles): The Cubs returned Fenter to the Orioles on March 12 after just one spring appearance. He hasn’t pitched above A-ball yet.
  • Dany Jimenez, RHP, Athletics (via Blue Jays): The 27-year-old Jimenez was a Rule 5 pick in consecutive offseasons — once by each Bay Area club. The A’s returned him to the Jays on March 15, however, after he yielded four runs (two earned) in three innings of work this spring.

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