Latest On Mets’ Roster Decisions
Most of the Mets’ roster has come into focus with Opening Day approaching, and the team continued to make its final roster cuts this weekend. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo has the summary of the decisions, including the news that utilityman Zack Short and (somewhat provisionally) first baseman/outfielder D.J. Stewart will break camp with the team. Stewart’s status is a little up in the air since he is the proverbial 26th man on the 26-man roster, and the Mets might yet replace him if a player they like becomes available on the waiver wire or in free agency, as rival teams also make their late cuts.
Short was claimed off waivers from the Tigers last November, and has been much more known for his defensive versatility than his bat (.174/.266/.308 in 450 career plate appearances) over his three MLB seasons in Detroit. However, Short has looked really good at the plate this spring, while Stewart has struggled. Ironically, Stewart has almost the opposite profile, as he has been productive if inconsistent in hitting .220/.339/.425 with 37 homers in 807 career PA, but isn’t known as much of a defender. Stewart joined the Mets on a minor league deal last winter and hit a very solid .244/.333/.506 over 185 PA in his first season in Queens.
Short and Stewart got the nod ahead of a pair of minor league signings in Ji-Man Choi and Jose Iglesias. The two veterans have opt-outs in their minors contracts but Choi told DiComo that he will report to the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate rather than re-enter free agency. Iglesias also indicted that he will likely remain with the organization to await another possible opportunity later in the season.
One player who is somewhat unexpectedly heading to Triple-A is Mark Vientos, who was initially slated to be a part-time third baseman and DH heading into camp. However, New York then signed J.D. Martinez this past week, and while Martinez will begin his season in the minors to make up for his lost spring prep time, Martinez’s presence will monopolize the designated hitter role. As a result, Brett Baty and Short now could work as a third base platoon, since the Mets want Vientos to get steadier playing time in the minors.
Mets president of baseball operations David Stearns also noted that the team wants to see Vientos get more work in at third base. Vientos’ defensive future has long been a question mark, as he is considered a subpar third baseman and playing at DH or first base with the Mets isn’t an option for at least 2024 due to the presence of Martinez and Pete Alonso. Becoming even a passable third baseman could greatly help Vientos stick in the majors and keep him from being pigeonholed as a first base/DH type at most. Vientos has hit just .205/.255/.354 with 10 home runs in 274 career PA in the big leagues, but the former second-round pick doesn’t have much left to prove in the minors after three seasons of crushing Triple-A pitching.
Assuming Stewart is indeed the last position player on the roster, the only remaining 26-man decisions facing the Mets are their last two bullpen spots. DiComo writes that Michael Tonkin is “a heavy favorite for one” spot, and Yohan Ramirez and Sean Reid-Foley are competing for the other job. All three pitchers are out of minor league options, DiComo notes that rival scouts have been watching Ramirez and Reid-Foley in anticipation of either pitcher potentially being available on the waiver wire. The loser of the competition might end up traded rather than designated for assignment, if enough interest exists from teams in need of bullpen depth.
Mets Claim Zack Short From Tigers
Former Tigers infielder Zack Short has been claimed on waivers by the Mets, the Tigers announced. This comes amidst a flurry of roster moves for the Tigers, who needed to open up several spots on the 40-man ahead of the deadline to move players off of the 60-day injured list, as well as the deadline to add players to the 40-man before they can elect minor league free agency.
Drafted by the Cubs in 2016, Short was traded to the Tigers in 2020 in exchange for veteran outfielder Cameron Maybin. He made his big league debut the following season, appearing in 61 games for Detroit and struggling his way to a .141/.239/.282 batting line. The utility infielder spent almost all of the 2022 season at Triple-A, but he made his way back to the majors in April 2023 and never looked back. While no one could argue his bat was an asset, he posted a much-improved .204/.292/.339 slash line while showing off his defensive versatility all over the diamond. By the end of the year, he had appeared in 112 games, occasionally as a starter but just as often as a pinch runner or mid-game defensive replacement.
While his offense may never be a strength, Short draws walks well, and he can put his plus speed to work when he reaches base. Moreover, his defense might not stand out at any one position, but he is capable of covering second, third, and short, and even the outfield in a pinch. As long as he doesn’t regress at the plate, his flexibility could earn him another shot at MLB playing time next season, especially since he is out of minor league options.
In further Mets news, all six players the team placed on outright waivers last week have cleared, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. Bryce Montes de Oca and Peyton Battenfield have been sent outright to Triple-A and will remain with the organization, while Tim Locastro, John Curtiss, Elieser Hernandez, and Denyi Reyes have elected free agency.
Tigers Place Michael Pineda On 15-Day Injured List
The Tigers announced a number of roster moves this morning. Namely, last night’s starter, Michael Pineda, who left the game after just three innings, has been placed on the 15-day injured list with tricep tightness, per the team. Righty Angel De Jesus has been recalled from Triple-A to claim Pineda’s roster spot. Right-hander Rony Garcia was also reinstated from the injured list, while infielder Zack Short was optioned to Triple-A.
Pineda’s injury is another in a long line of ailments that have beset the Tigers’ pitching staff this season. Pineda himself has made just 10 starts, posting a 5.27 ERA/5.81 FIP in 42 2/3 innings of work.
Garcia can step right into Pineda’s rotation spot in the short term. The 24-year-old has made seven starts this season with eight relief outings summing to 48 1/3 innings with a 4.28 ERA/4.42 FIP. Garcia was a starter for the Tigers throughout June, and it’s likely that he steps back into that role. Tyler Alexander will also step back into the rotation in the short term, per Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group (via Twitter).
De Jesus will move into the bullpen, from which he has made two appearances for Detroit this season. The 25-year-old has a 5.40 ERA across 27 outings in Triple-A totaling 28 1/3 innings of work. He takes Short’s roster spot. Short has been called up to the active roster a few times this season, though he has yet to carve out a significant role.
Tigers Place Victor Reyes On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Zack Short
The Tigers placed Victor Reyes on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain, the team announced. Given the amount of time left in the season, Reyes’ year is done. In a corresponding move, Zack Short has been recalled from Triple-A.
Reyes, 26, has played well enough in the second half to put himself in the conversation for an outfield spot next year. Reyes has just an 88 wRC+ on the year, but he hit .325/.348/.516 across 134 plate appearances in the second half. He doesn’t walk enough (3.6 percent walk rate), nor does he offer much pop (.158 ISO), but he saw some growth in the latter category this season, and if he continues on that upward trajectory, he could find regular at-bats for a Detroit team on the rise.
Short has been back and forth from Toledo to Detroit a couple of times this season. The 26-year-old right-handed infielder hit .147/.239/.293 in 176 plate appearances with the Tigers. That’s not enough bat, obviously, though his positional flexibility and ability to handle shortstop will make him a roster candidate next season.
Tigers Select Renato Nunez, Place Akil Baddoo On 7-Day IL
The Tigers have selected the contract of infielder Renato Nunez, recalled infielder Zack Short from Triple-A Toledo and placed outfielders Akil Baddoo and Derek Hill on the injured list, per a club announcement. Baddoo is heading to the seven-day concussion list, while Hill has been placed on the 10-day IL with a ribcage contusion. Hill and Baddoo sustained their injuries on a frightening, full-speed collision at the wall in left-center field in yesterday’s win over the Orioles.
This will be the second big league stint of the season for Nunez, who hit .148/.207/.444 with a pair of homers in 29 plate appearances earlier in the year. The 27-year-old went unclaimed when Detroit placed him on waivers earlier in the year, and he accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A Toledo, where he’s batted .291/.383/.585 (153 wRC+) with 20 home runs, 14 doubles and a pair of triples in 311 plate appearances.
The second big league stint could prove to be something of a longer-term audition for Nunez, who has a decent big league track record at the dish. From 2018-20, he posted a .250/.316/.457 batting line with 51 homers in 1076 plate appearances between Oakland and Baltimore. Nunez’s power production in Baltimore resulted in a good bit of surprise among fans when the O’s placed him on waivers prior to Dec. 2020’s non-tender deadline, but no team claimed the slugger, whose defensive limitations and sub-par on-base percentage have sapped some of the value that power brings to the table. That said, he’ll now get another run with the Tigers, who’ll have the option of controlling him all the way through 2024 if he impresses enough.
As for the 22-year-old Baddoo, the injury throws a wrench into his hopes for a late Rookie of the Year push. Baddoo was a surprising pick by the Tigers in the Rule 5 Draft, having missed most of the 2019 season due to Tommy John surgery and spending the 2020 season recovering. He hadn’t played at either the Double-A or the Triple-A levels, but he’s shown barely any signs of rust, hitting at a .267/.333/.467 pace with 10 home runs, 18 doubles, six triples and 14 stolen bases. He wasn’t necessarily a Rookie of the Year favorite, but Baddoo, Randy Arozarena, Luis Garcia and Cole Irvin are among the AL rookies who could’ve conceivably separated themselves with a big finish.
There’s no word on how long Baddoo will be sidelined, as it’s difficult to project recovery timetables for concussions and concussion-like symptoms. He’ll spend at least a week on the shelf, though, and he’ll automatically be moved to the 10-day IL if he’s not ready for reinstatement once 10 days have passed.
Hill, meanwhile, had been in line for his first real look in center field at the big league level. Through 87 plate appearances, the former first-rounder was batting .250/.345/.316 with a home run, a triple and six steals. As with Baddoo, there’s no projected timetable for his recovery. With Baddoo and Hill both joining Daz Cameron on the injured list, the Tigers will look to Robbie Grossman, Victor Reyes and perhaps Harold Castro or Nunez in the outfield.
Tigers Option Isaac Paredes, Keep Zack Short On Active Roster
After splitting today’s doubleheader with the Astros, the Tigers announced that they are keeping 27th man Zack Short on the active roster and optioning Isaac Paredes to Triple-A. Paredes, 22, was given an opportunity to fill in for Niko Goodrum when the latter was placed on the injured list.
With a 17.1 percent walk rate and 14.3 percent strikeout rate in a small sample of 35 plate appearances, Paredes has shown a solid, contact-first approach. The bottom line results haven’t been there yet, however, as he slashed .143/.286/.321 in that time. His .130 BABIP suggests some poor luck, and his batted ball numbers (such as exit velocity, hard-hit percentage, and barrel rate) are a touch below average. Paredes will head back to the minors with hopes of producing more solid contact in regular playing time at Toledo.
Short, 26, is having a stellar season at the plate, both in Triple-A (.132 wRC+ in 124 plate appearances) and with the parent club (143 wRC+ in 16 plate appearances). The former Cubs’ farmhand can play all over the infield while filling Paredes’ role as a right-handed complement to switch-hitting infielders Jeimer Candelario and Willi Castro. Short may not have the long-term promise that Paredes does, but he has impressed in short-run samples this season, earning himself an opportunity.
Moving to the outfield, the Tigers have another roster decision coming soon, writes Evan Woodbery of Mlive.com. With Derek Hill and Victor Reyes close to returning from the injured list, the Tigers will have a surplus of outfielders. The most obvious move would be to activate Hill and option Reyes back to Triple-A, but Woodbery wonders whether Detroit might find this the right time to cut ties with Nomar Mazara.
Though still just 26, Mazara is seemingly running out of chances to prove himself a Major League hitter. After struggling through the shortened season with the White Sox, Mazara has put up similar production this year. Slashing .201/.273/.317 through 154 plate appearances, Mazara doesn’t have any trade value, and on a one-year, $1.75MM contract, he can be cut loose without significant financial consequence.
If the Tigers don’t see Mazara as a part of their future, there’s certainly some logic to allocating his playing time elsewhere. The Tigers can pull from a pool of outfielders that includes Robbie Grossman, Akil Baddoo, Daz Cameron, Hill, Reyes, JaCoby Jones, Christin Stewart, Jacob Robson. Infielders Castro and Goodrum (when he returns from the injured list) are also capable of playing the outfield.
Tigers Option Zack Short, Activate Jose Urena From Injured List
The Tigers optioned infielder Zack Short to Triple-A Toledo after today’s ballgame, the team announced. Starter Jose Urena will be reinstated from the 10-day injured list tomorrow. He will re-join the rotation.
Short was recalled on his 26th birthday, May 29th. Though he did not appear in a game on his birthday, he did make three appearances, starting two games at shortstop. He made just nine plate appearances, but Short can consider it a success after going 2-for-6 at the plate with three walks, a couple of runs, and his first career stolen base.
All that said, the Tigers will welcome Urena back to the rotation, as they’re a little short-handed on the hill. The Tigers not only placed Spencer Turnbull on the 10-day IL, but an injured list stint could follow for Michael Fulmer as well. He has been unavailable the past couple of days because of arm fatigue, tweets Chris McCosky of The Detroit News. Fulmer has mostly pitched out of the pen, but he’s been a reliable source of innings with 35 innings pitched across 20 outings (four starts). His 3.34 ERA/3.57 FIP are the best run prevention numbers posted by Fulmer since his rookie campaign in 2016.
Urena has provided solid innings through ten starts this season, and the Tigers will hope he can get right back to it. He owns a 4.14 ERA/3.84 FIP across 54 1/3 innings on the season.
Tigers Place Jose Urena On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Zack Short
The Tigers announced a pair of corresponding roster moves this morning. Jose Urena has been added to the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain, and infielder Zack Short has been recalled from Triple-A to take his roster spot.
It’s going to be a short stint on the IL for Urena, per Evan Woodbery of the MLive Media Group (via Twitter). It’s possible that Urena will only miss one start. The Tigers can roll with a four-man rotation for the duration of a 10-day IL stint because of a pair of off days coming up. They’ll have a rest day both before and after a four-game set with the White Sox that starts next Thursday.
Urena has a bit of a quirky profile, but he’s put together a solid 10-start stretch for the Tigers, pitching to a 4.14 ERA/3.81 FIP across 54 1/3 innings. The 29-year-old has burned worms at a career-best 54.3 percent rate and otherwise kept the ball in the ballpark with an excellent 6.8 percent HR/FB rate. Despite above-average velocity, Urena doesn’t miss many bats with just a 15.0 percent strikeout rate. He ranks just in the 8th percentile for whiff rate and sixth percentile for K-rate. Regardless, he’s been one of the Tigers’ more prolific arms this season, racking up the third highest innings total on the team.
Short returns to the big league club on his 26th birthday. The right-handed infielder has just seven career plate appearances, all coming this season. He’ll be an extra bat for potential pinch-hitting opportunities when the Tigers travel to a National League park to take on the Brewers starting on Monday. The former Cubs farmhand was hitting .227/.424/.409 through 59 plate appearances in Triple-A this season.
Tigers To Activate Miguel Cabrera From 10-Day IL On Sunday
The Tigers will activate first baseman/DH Miguel Cabrera from the 10-day injured list prior to tomorrow’s game, the team announced. Infielder Zack Short has already been optioned to the alternate training site to make room for Cabrera’s return. Cabrera hit the IL on April 11 due to a left bicep strain, so the veteran slugger will be back after only a few days’ beyond the 10-day minimum.
Cabrera didn’t hit much over his first 27 plate appearances, batting only .125/.222/.292 with one home run. While the veteran slugger is a few years removed from his All-Star prime, his pursuit of both the 500-homer plateau and the 3000-hit plateau will draw attention throughout the season, assuming good health and assuming Cabrera can continue even his league-average offensive production from 2017-20. Cabrera currently sits at 488 home runs and 2869 career hits.
While Short is slightly behind Cabrera on the all-time hits list, Short at least joined the party when he cracked a single in Friday’s game for his first Major League hit. Short appeared in two games with Detroit, marking his first Major League action since being a 17th-round pick of the Cubs in the 2016 draft. The 25-year-old infielder has shown a knack for getting on base during his time in the minors (career .241/.377/.405 slash line over 1588 PA) and he can also play shortstop and both second base and third base.
Tigers Designate Renato Nunez For Assignment
The Tigers announced Wednesday that they’ve designated first baseman Renato Nunez for assignment in order to open a roster spot for infielder Zack Short, who has been recalled from the team’s alternate training site. Detroit also plans to activate right-hander Spencer Turnbull from the Covid-19 list later today, as Evan Woodberry of MLive.com points out, which necessitates this morning’s 40-man move.
Many were surprised to see the Orioles cut Nunez loose over the winter rather than pay him a raise via arbitration. He’d slugged 43 long balls for Baltimore from 2019-20, including a 31-homer campaign back in 2019. However, as a below-average defender at both infield corners with contact issues and a generally sub-par OBP, Nunez went unclaimed on waivers despite his obvious power. He ultimately landed a minor league deal in Detroit and had his contract selected 10 days ago.
Nunez, 27, showed off that power by homering twice in 29 plate appearances as a Tiger, but the same OBP, strikeout and defensive concerns were present. The Tigers slotted him at DH (four games) more than first base (three), as he split his time in the field with both Harold Castro and Jonathan Schoop. Nunez punched out eight times in his 29 trips to the plate against just one walk, resulting in an overall .148/.207/.444 batting line. Nunez paired that output with a .188/.212/.344 slash in 33 spring plate appearances, which likely also played into the decision.
The Tigers will have a week to trade Nunez or attempt to pass him through outright waivers, although even if he goes unclaimed this time around, he can still opt for free agency by virtue of the fact that he’s already cleared waivers once before.
The 25-year-old Short will be making his big league debut the first time he gets into a game with the Tigers. Acquired from the Cubs last summer in a trade that sent Cameron Maybin to Chicago, Short is a former 17th-round pick who emerged as one of the top 30 prospects in the Cubs’ system from 2019-20, per Baseball America. He ranks 24th among Tigers farmhands right now over at MLB.com, where he’s regarded as a plus defender at multiple positions and an above-average runner with gap power. He hasn’t hit for a great average in the minors but draws tons of walks (16.4 percent), which has resulted in a .241/.377/.405 line in his minor league career.