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Rafael Ortega

Braves Select Rafael Ortega

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The Braves announced that they have selected the contract of Rafael Ortega. He’ll head onto the active roster, with righty Patrick Weigel optioned to make way.

Ortega, 28, joined the Atlanta organization on a minor-league pact before the season. The left-handed-hitter, who has appeared in parts of three prior MLB campaigns, carries a .285/.373/.524 batting line (126 wRC+) in 493 plate appearances at Triple-A.

It’s not clear whether Ortega is seen as a potentially permanent solution or a temporary fill-in, but his promotion reflects the fact that the Braves are in a bit of an outfield pickle. The club lost Nick Markakis just before the trade deadline and isn’t sure whether or when he’ll return. Having foregone the chance to add a significant player from outside the organization, the club is now left with what is has on hand and what it can procure through the limitations of the August acquisition period.

At one point, it seemed the Braves were set with a three-man outfield unit featuring Markakis, superstar Ronald Acuna, and rookie Austin Riley. Many even felt the club should jettison Ender Inciarte when he returned from the injured list. As it turns out, Markakis and Riley are now shelved with injuries; the latter had struggled mightily for a lengthy stretch before hitting the IL.

For a moment, it looked as if Adam Duvall would be the solution. He started with a six-game hot streak but has been dreadful in his ten ensuing games. There’s still hope that he can contribute, but it’s far from a certainty. Much the same holds for utilityman Johan Camargo, who has scuffled since a hot July. The Braves might’ve utilized Charlie Culberson in the outfield, but he’s filling in at short for the injured Dansby Swanson. Matt Joyce is still on the roster — indeed, he’s in the lineup tonight — but the club has elected to utilize him mostly as a bench bat. (He has played just 64 1/3 innings in the field.)

Despite the increasing uncertainty, the Braves’ lineup has had no trouble pushing runs across the plate, having outscored all but five other teams in the past thirty days. And the club has managed to stay out in front of the trailing pack in the division. While the Nats, Mets, and (if they can gather themselves) Phillies are threats to mount a charge, they’re still decided underdogs. But the Braves can’t sleep on their lead — six games, entering play today — and will obviously also want to fine tune their outfield mix (among other question areas) in advance of the postseason.

Braves Sign Rafael Ortega To Minor League Deal

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The Braves announced a series of non-roster invitees to Major League Spring Training today, with outfielder Rafael Ortega representing a yet-unreported addition to the organization. Other previously reported minor league signings confirmed by the Braves today include outfielder Ryan LaMarre (link), infielder Andres Blanco (link) and infielder Pedro Florimon (link).

Ortega, 27, appeared in 41 games with the Marlins in 2018 and hit .233/.287/.271 with three doubles, a triple and five steals in 143 plate appearances. He’s seen action in parts of three MLB seasons (2012 with the Rockies and 2016 with the Halos serving as the other two) and is a career .236/.291/.286 hitter in 352 Major League trips to the plate. While he spent his time in Miami playing both outfield corners, the bulk of Ortega’s professional experience in the outfield has come in center.

Ortega will give the Braves some left-handed-hitting outfield depth and seems likely to be ticketed for Triple-A Gwinnett early in the year. He’s a lifetime .299/.368/.423 hitter in 1666 Triple-A PAs (spread out over the course of five seasons) and has gone 71-for-93 (76 percent) in stolen-base attempts at that level. His big league experience is obviously limited, but he’s drawn average or better defensive ratings on the whole in 707 innings.

Marlins Outright Six Players

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The Marlins announced Friday that right-handers Tyler Cloyd, James Needy and Javy Guerra, left-hander Chris O’Grady, infielder Christopher Bostick and outfielder Rafael Ortega have all been outrighted off the 40-man roster after clearing waivers (O’Grady was first reinstated from the 60-day DL).

Cloyd, 31, allowed 17 runs in 17 2/3 innings for the Fish in his largest slate of big league work since the 2013 campaign with the Phillies. The 32-year-old Guerra (33 on Halloween) was unable to repeat the success he had with the 2017 Marlins, as he was clobbered for a 5.55 ERA in 35 2/3 innings (albeit with a more encouraging 30-to-12 K/BB ratio). O’Grady pitched just seven innings in his second season with the Fish and has a 4.73 ERA with 38 strikeouts against 22 walks in 40 Major League innings. Needy, meanwhile, did not pitch in 2018 after a solid 2017 campaign and also missed the 2016 season due to injury.

As for the position players, the 25-year-old Bostick was acquired from the Pirates for cash in August but saw just 16 plate appearances in the Majors. He’s a .256/.360/.326 hitter in a tiny sample of 50 plate appearances as a big leaguer and a .275/.337/.391 hitter in 1189 Triple-A plate appearances. Ortega, 27, logged 143 plate appearances with the Marlins this season and batted .233/.287/.271. Like Bostick, he has limited MLB experience but a solid track record in Triple-A (.299/.368/.423).

Added To The 40-Man: Ortega, Stewart, Sobotka, Kelly

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There has been a fair amount of roster movement today. We’ll use this post to keep tabs on the players moving onto MLB rosters:

  • After shipping out first baseman Justin Bour earlier today, the Marlins announced they would replace him by selecting the contract of outfielder Rafael Ortega. The 27-year-old Ortega got a solid shot with the Angels in 2016 but could not take advantage. He had a productive season last year with the plate at Triple-A and has been solid as well at the highest level of the minors in 2018, though he hasn’t sustained the power he showed in 2017. In the current season, he has slashed .275/.375/.404 with an impressive combination of 44 walks and 31 strikeouts over 328 plate appearances.
  • The Twins will select the contract of righty Kohl Stewart, according to Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press (via Twitter). Chosen fourth overall in the 2013 draft, Stewart is now slated for his MLB debut after being left unprotected from the Rule 5 draft last winter. Through 108 2/3 innings this season in the upper minors, he owns only a 4.47 ERA. But Stewart has seen a real boost in his K/BB numbers over past years. He’s carrying 8.4 K/9 against 2.7 BB/9 along with a 57.3% groundball rate on the season.
  • As part of a series of pitching moves, the Braves purchased the contract of righty Chad Sobotka. He and lefty Chad Bell will join the active roster as the team has optioned down relievers Wes Parsons and Adam McCreery. Sobotka is a 25-year-old reliever who came to the Atlanta organizatino as a fourth-round pick in 2015. He had already climbed to Triple-A for the first time after dominating performances at High-A (2.21 ERA, 28:7 K/BB in 20 1/3 innings) and Double-A (2.89 ERA, 37:13 K/BB in 28 innings). He has been giving out too many free passes so far at the highest level of the minors (eight in 6 1/3 frames) but has still been getting strikeouts and keeping runs off the board.
  • The Giants announced that they selected the contract of righty Casey Kelly, bumping Johnny Cueto to the 60-day DL as he continues to rehab from Tommy John surgery. Kelly, a first-round pick way back in 2008, has seen brief MLB action in parts of three seasons. He owns only a 4.78 ERA in his 130 Triple-A innings this year, with 7.2 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/15/17

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Here are the notable minor moves from the day:

  • Righty Alex Wimmers has signed with the Marlins on a deal that includes a spring invite, MLB.com’s Joe Frisaro tweets. The 29-year-old, a former first-round pick, has appeared in each of the past two seasons in the majors with the Twins, but has struggled mightily with his control in limited action at the game’s highest level. In his 47 1/3 innings at Triple-A in 2017, Wimmers worked to a 3.23 ERA with 9.1 K/9 versus 2.1 BB/9.
  • Also joining the Marlins is outfielder Rafael Ortega. The 26-year-old struggled in an extended run with the Angels in 2016 and spent all of the ensuing season at Triple-A. He did show well there, posting 472 plate appearances of .317/.383/.468 hitting with six home runs and 26 stolen bases. Depending upon how many open outfield spots remain when camp opens, it’s certainly possible Ortega could push for a spot on the active roster.
  • The Nationals have brought back lefty Tim Collins on another minors deal, Jorge Castillo of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. Collins, who is still just 28, pitched competitively for the first time since 2014 during his recent minor-league run with the Nats. He walked 14 and allowed 15 earned runs in his 17 1/3 frames across three levels of the minors, but did at least pick up 23 strikeouts in his preliminary effort to return from consecutive Tommy John procedures. Before the unfortunate health downturn, Collins had turned in 211 frames of 3.54 ERA ball over four seasons with the Royals.

Minor MLB Transactions: 12/14/16

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Let’s catch up on the latest minor moves:

  • The Padres have agreed to minors deals with non-tendered players Jose Pirela and Hector Sanchez, Matt Eddy of Baseball America reports via Twitter. San Diego will also bring in outfielder Rafael Ortega and righty Andre Rienzo on minor-league deals. Of this group, Sanchez has the most major league experience and seems most likely to have a chance to reaching the bigs in San Diego. He has seen time in each of the past six major league campaigns, compiling a .241/.278/.354 batting line across 691 plate appearances. Ortega, though, saw the most time in 2016, posting a .232/.283/.292 slash in 202 plate appearances with the Angels.
  • Righty Stephen Fife and first baseman Tyler Moore are the newest additions to the Marlins organization, per Eddy (on Twitter). Fife, 30, saw time in three years for the Dodgers and owns a 3.66 ERA in his 91 major league frames. After missing time for Tommy John surgery, he returned to make ten Triple-A starts in the Cubs organization in 2016, working to a 4.58 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.3 BB/9. Moore, meanwhile, spent parts of four years in the majors with the Nationals, but struggled in limited action last year at the Braves’ top affiliate.
  • The Astros agreed to terms with 26-year-old southpaw C.J. Riefenhauser, Eddy tweets. He’ll likely end up as a depth piece, as he did last year with the Cubs. Riefenhauser does have twenty major league innings under his belt — all with the Rays, and with a 6.30 ERA — but spent all of 2016 at Triple-A (with Fife), where he posted a 4.71 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 6.0 BB/9 over 28 2/3 frames.
  • The White Sox have added outfielder Caleb Gindl on a minors pact, Eddy further tweets. Despite showing some promise upon reaching the majors in 2013 with the Brewers, Gindl fell off badly in each of the ensuing two seasons. He ended up playing indy ball last year, but showed enough with the Lancaster Barnstormers to return to an affiliated club.
  • Outfielder Lane Adams is headed to the Braves on a minors pact, also via Eddy (on Twitter). The 27-year-old has exceedingly brief major league time, but has spent the past several seasons in the upper minors. Last year, with the Yankees and Cubs organizations, Adams put up a .266/.342/.388 batting line and swiped 44 bags to go with ten home runs over 481 plate appearances split between Double-A and Triple-A.
  • The Orioles added infielder/outfielder Sean Coyle on a minor-league deal, Eduardo Encina of the Baltimore Sun reports on Twitter. Now 24, Coyle was once seen as  solid prospect in the Red Sox’ system. But he struggled badly last year in the upper minors, posting a cumulative .181/.269/.293 batting line over 426 plate appearances. He was claimed in mid-season by the Angels, but ended up being dropped from the team’s 40-man.
  • The Phillies outrighted righty Michael Mariot, who was recently designated for assignment.

Angels Designate Rafael Ortega

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The Angels have designated outfielder Rafael Ortega for assignment, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. His roster spot will go to the just-signed Jesse Chavez.

Ortega, 25, got his first real audition last year for Los Angeles, but didn’t hit much at all. Over 201 plate appearances, he managed only a .232/.283/.292 batting line with a single home run and eight steals. On the positive side, Ortega struck out only 23 times against his 13 walks, but obviously he wasn’t able to translate that contact into production.

With Ortega possibly on his way out — and obviously not a major part of the team’s plans regardless — the need for a left-handed-hitting bench piece seems apparent. The switch-hitting Kaleb Cowart could take such a spot in a utility role, and Ji-Man Choi is on hand as a defensively-limited possibility, but it wouldn’t at all be surprising to see the Angels look to add a more established piece.

Injury Notes: Dodgers, Hundley, d’Arnaud, Nava

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In the latest discouraging news for the Dodgers’ Hyun-jin Ryu, the lefty is battling “a little groin strain” and has halted his throwing program as a result, manager Dave Roberts told reporters, including Bill Plunkett of the Orange County Register (Twitter link). “Technically it’s a setback, and I don’t know how severe the injury is,” Roberts said (link via Dan Arritt of ESPN.com). Ryu, who underwent surgery on a torn left labrum last May, hasn’t appeared in a big league game since October 2014. He seemed to be making progress in his recovery prior to his groin acting up, having tossed two 20-pitch sim games April 8.

More injury notes from around Major League Baseball:

  • One of Ryu’s Dodgers teammates, outfielder Carl Crawford, is recovering well from a lower back injury and will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A Oklahoma City in the upcoming week, according to Jack Baer of MLB.com. Crawford, whom the Dodgers placed on the 15-day disabled list April 9, should be activated April 24. Crawford started the Dodgers’ first three games of the season and hit .273/.273/.364 in 11 plate appearances. Upon returning, he’ll join a crowded outfield picture that includes Yasiel Puig, Joc Pederson, Kike Hernandez and Trayce Thompson, all of whom have been terrific this year.
  • The Rockies placed catcher Nick Hundley on the seven-day DL on Saturday with a concussion and called up pitcher David Hale from Triple-A, The Associated Press reports. The DL move was made retroactive to Thursday. Hundley has been dealing with concussion symptoms since he took a foul tip to the mask Wednesday. Prior to the injury, Hundley hit a solid .227/.393/.409 in 28 PAs.
  • Mets catcher Travis d’Arnaud left Saturday’s loss to the Indians after getting hit on his left elbow by a 93 mph Zach McAllister fastball, but X-rays came back negative. The Mets diagnosed d’Arnaud with a bruise, and he’s now day to day, per Anthony DiComo of MLB.com. “It’s going to probably be pretty sore the next couple days,” said manager Terry Collins. “He had a little trouble straightening his elbow, bending it. So we’ll keep an eye on it.”
  • The Angels on Saturday placed left fielder Daniel Nava on the 15-day DL with left patellar tendinitis, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times writes. Nava’s left knee has been an issue for him since 2013, which is “why we’re being cautious with it right now,” manager Mike Scioscia said. Nava has slashed .286/.333/.286 in 15 PAs so far this year, and he expects to return in early May. In the meantime, the Angels will replace him with fellow outfielder Rafael Ortega, whom they called up from Triple-A Salt Lake. The lefty-swinging Ortega went 0 for 3 with a stolen base and a walk in the Angels’ 6-4 loss to the Twins on Saturday.

AL West Notes: Astros, Parker, A’s, Angels

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The Astros’ first-base situation is one of the more fluid among contenders league-wide, but Evan Drellich of the Houston Chronicle writes that the competition is off to a compelling start. Possible options such as A.J. Reed, Tyler White, Jon Singleton, and Matt Duffy are among the players who have begun making their case for major league jobs, and Drellich explains that it won’t be long before the team will begin to make its choices. “The at-bats are going to start to dry up with the competition,” said manager A.J. Hinch, who added that he’ll begin to give more playing time to the most likely candidates in the middle of March.

Here’s some more camp news out of the AL West:

  • Athletics righty Jarrod Parker is going to be limited to bullpen duty as he tries to work back from an elbow fracture (not to mention his two prior Tommy John procedures), Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. The 27-year-old, who hasn’t seen MLB action since 2013, will likely trim his offerings down to a fastball-change combination. He’s currently building up his arm strength in bullpen sessions, and says that he’s just taking things one step at a time. “Expectations are not in my vocabulary anymore,” said Parker. “I just go day to day and try to be in tune, see how I feel, give what I’ve got that day and not try to reach.”
  • The Athletics have received good signs on the injury front from catcher Stephen Vogt and righty Jesse Hahn, as Slusser further reports. Vogt, who isn’t far removed from an elbow procedure, hit two home runs today and says he was glad to be able to “trust the elbow” and “take full swings and not feel any pain.” And Hahn, who was limited last year with a concerning forearm strain, looked good in his two innings and says he feels healthy. Likewise, outfielder Coco Crisp looks to be in good form after an injury-riddled 2015 season, manager Bob Melvin told reporters including John Hickey of the Bay Area News Group (via Twitter).
  • Over in Angels camp, the left field situation remains an interesting one to watch, and MLB.com’s Alden Gonzalez writes that 24-year-old Rafael Ortega is a player who has impressed early. Of course, the organization still seems set to go with a platoon of Daniel Nava and Craig Gentry to open the season. As Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times reports, they have taken a long and winding road to this point.

Angels Sign Rafael Ortega To Major League Deal

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The Angels announced tonight that they’ve signed outfielder Rafael Ortega to a one-year, Major League contract (Twitter link).

Ortega, 24, is a left-handed-hitting center fielder that once ranked as one of the Rockies’ top prospects but has had his career slowed by injury. Baseball America rated him 15th among Colorado farmhands prior to the 2013 season, calling him a true center fielder with a plus arm and plus speed. BA noted that he needs to be careful not to fall in love with swinging for the fences after a home run, though he does have surprising pop for someone with a 5’11”, 160-pound frame.

Ortega was once again healthy in 2015 and enjoyed a strong campaign with the Cardinals’ Triple-A affiliate in Memphis, where he batted .286/.367/.378 with a pair of homers and 17 stolen bases in 502 plate appearances. Ortega, it would seem, can compete for the fourth outfielder’s job in Anaheim and serve as either a lefty bench bat and late-inning defensive replacement or valuable depth at the Triple-A level. He received a brief taste of the Majors as a 21-year-old back in 2012 but hasn’t appeared in the big leagues since that time.

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