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Nationals Claim Patrick Murphy Off Waivers From Blue Jays, Release Rene Rivera

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The Nationals have claimed Patrick Murphy off waivers from the Blue Jays, per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com. Murphy was designated for assignment by the Blue Jays earlier in the week. Additionally, the club has released Rene Rivera, per Jessica Camerato of MLB.com.

Murphy worked as a starter in the minors through the 2019 season. At Double-A that year, he logged 84 innings with an ERA of 4.71. In 2020, with the minor league season wiped out, he was only able to get actual game action in the big leagues, pitching six innings out of Toronto’s bullpen, allowing one earned run on six hits and two walks.

A consistent issue with Murphy has been injuries, which continued this year. He was placed on the 60-day IL back in February and began a rehab assignment in late May. Since that time, he bounced between the majors and minors, being optioned three times. He’s dominated Triple-A hitters in 14 2/3 scoreless innings, with a strikeout rate of 29.3%. Though that also came with a concerning walk rate of 13.8%. At the big league level, he has a 4.82 ERA, but in a small sample size of just 9 1/3 innings. The 26-year-old is in his last option year, meaning Washington can keep him in the minors for the remainder of the season. But once the 2022 season begins, they would have to either keep him in the majors or designate him for assignment again.

As for Rivera, this brings a very short Nationals tenure to an end. The 38-year-old journeyman catcher was released by Cleveland just over a month ago and signed on with Washington in mid-July. He was able to appear in just four games with the Nats. Between the two clubs, his slash line for the season is .232/.293/.362. He will now be free to sign with other clubs. However, Washington had placed him on the IL just last week with an elbow contusion. The severity of that injury could determine the level of interest from other teams.

Nationals Select Javy Guerra

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The Nationals announced they’ve selected the contract of reliever Javy Guerra and recalled catcher Riley Adams from Triple-A Rochester. Righty Wander Suero was optioned to Triple-A, while catcher René Rivera landed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 2, with a right elbow contusion. Washington already had a pair of vacancies on the 40-man roster arising out of last week’s series of trades.

Guerra will be making his season debut when he gets into a game, marking the eleventh consecutive year in which he’s picked up some big league time. Guerra saw action with the Nats in each of 2019-20, tossing 69 1/3 innings of 4.67 ERA/4.55 FIP ball. The veteran righty has only struck out 18.5% of opponents over that stretch, but he’s been stingy with walks, doling out free passes at just a 6.4% clip.

The Nationals signed Rivera to a major league contract in mid-July, but he’s only picked up 15 plate appearances over the past couple weeks. While he’s out, he’ll be replaced by the 25-year-old Adams, who came over from the Blue Jays in exchange for Brad Hand in advance of last week’s trade deadline.

Nationals Sign Rene Rivera To Major League Deal

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The Nationals announced they’ve signed veteran catcher René Rivera to a major league contract. Fellow backstop Jackson Reetz was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Additionally, Washington reinstated infielder Jordy Mercer from the injured list. Space for Rivera on the 40-man roster was opened when Starlin Castro was placed on administrative leave this afternoon.

Washington will be Rivera’s second team of the 2021 campaign. The 37-year-old backstop was selected to the Indians roster in early May and spent a little less than two months in Cleveland before being designated for assignment. The Indians released him last week.

Rivera tallied 63 trips to the plate with Cleveland, hitting at a respectable .236/.300/.400 level with a pair of home runs. He struck out at an alarming 38.4% rate, though, and Cleveland elected to move forward with their expected battery of Roberto Pérez and Austin Hedges once those two players returned from stints on the injured list.

Of course, the Nats aren’t signing Rivera for his bat. He’s hit just .221/.273/.355 (71 wRC+) across 1614 plate appearances at the major league level. Rivera’s appeal is in his defensive abilities. He’s a 13-year major league veteran who’s well regarded for his work with pitching staffs. Rivera has typically rated as an above-average pitch framer over the course of his career, and he’s cut down attempted basestealers at a fantastic 36.3% clip at the major league level.

That quality glove and veteran aptitude is obviously of appeal to a Nationals team that had been relying on the younger duo of Reetz and Tres Barrera behind the plate. Both members of their desired battery — Alex Avila and Yan Gomes — landed on the 10-day IL earlier this month. Avila is dealing with bilateral calf strains, while Gomes has been held back by an oblique strain.

Indians Release Rene Rivera

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The Indians have released veteran catcher Rene Rivera, per the transactions log at MLB.com. Cleveland designated him for assignment this past weekend after activating Roberto Perez from the injured list.

Rivera, who’ll turn 38 at the end of the month, was signed to a minor league deal earlier this year and made his way to the big leagues when Perez first landed on the injured list. He logged 21 games behind the plate with Cleveland, batting .236/.300/.400 in 63 plate appearances. Rivera connected on a pair of homers and three doubles, but he also fanned in 24 of those 63 trips to the plate (38 percent).

The Indians currently have fellow veterans Ryan Lavarnway and Wilson Ramos (who recently signed with Cleveland) on their Triple-A roster, which left Rivera without much of an opportunity even in the upper minors. He’ll head back to the free-agent market and look for another opportunity. In parts of 13 seasons split between nine different clubs, Rivera is a .221/.273/.355 hitter who boasts an elite 36 percent caught-stealing rate and a generally strong defensive reputation (though his defensive marks were down during his brief Cleveland run).

Indians Activate Roberto Perez, Designate Rene Rivera For Assignment

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The Indians activated catcher Roberto Perez from the injured list and designated Rene Rivera for assignment, per MLB.com’s Mandy Ball (via Twitter).

Cleveland has been without their starting catcher since May 5th when a fracture of his ring finger sent Perez to the injured list. While Perez doesn’t produce much at the plate, he’s nevertheless been considered a core piece of the Indians’ roster for the way he handles the pitching staff. He has won a Gold Glove Award in each of the past two seasons. At the plate, he was hitting .131/.274/.295 over 73 plate appearances to start the year.

The veteran Rivera appeared in 21 games as coverage for Perez’s absence, slashing .236/.300/.400 in 63 plate appearances. The well-traveled veteran could be claimed by one of the other 29 teams, and if not, he’ll likely have the opportunity to accept an assignment to Triple-A or elect free agency.

Austin Hedges is firmly entrenched as the other piece of the Indians’ catching tandem, so Rivera isn’t likely to see the roster again in Cleveland unless there’s another injury. That said, Hedges has struggled at the plate as well, putting up a paltry .159/.213/.262 line across 139 trips.

Roberto Perez Undergoes Surgery To Repair Broken Finger

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2:50 PM: It appears the Indians will be without their starting catcher for quite some time. Manager Terry Francona told the media, including the Athletic’s Zack Meisel (Twitter links), that Cleveland expects Perez to be out for 8-10 weeks.

2:04 PM: Indians catcher Roberto Perez underwent surgery to repair the fractured ring finger on his right hand, tweets Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal. The team has yet to provide a timeline as to when Perez might be cleared to return to action, but Cleveland will now be without its top catcher for the foreseeable future.

Perez suffered the injury when he got crossed up with hard-throwing James Karinchak, and while he tried to play through the issue for awhile, he eventually was placed on the injured list earlier this week. He met with a specialist this week, Lewis notes, and clearly the surgical route wound up being the recommended course of treatment.

The injury initially occurred more than three weeks ago at a time when Perez was batting .238/.448/.524 with a pair of home runs through his first 29 plate appearances. Unsurprisingly, his bid to remain productive with a broken finger didn’t go particularly well; in 44 plate appearances since that time, Perez has just three hits and a dismal .075/.159/.175 slash.

Cleveland is temporarily losing one of the game’s best defensive catchers, although one of Perez’s primary competitors for that distinction is his own teammate, Austin Hedges. With Perez sidelined, Hedges figures to get the lion’s share of playing time. His bat isn’t likely to match that of a healthy Perez, as he’s mustered only a .118/.189/.294 output in 2021 and a .166/.243/.306 line overall dating back to 2019. Hedges’ glove, game-calling and framing should continue to work to the advantage of what is yet another high-quality Indians pitching staff, however.

That’s especially true given that he figures to share time with 37-year-old Rene Rivera, who was selected to the MLB roster to replace Perez. Rivera, a glove-first backstop himself, won’t provide much with the bat but will give Terry Francona another quality battery-mate for his pitchers.

Indians Place Roberto Perez On IL, Select Rene Rivera, DFA Ben Gamel

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The Indians have placed catcher Roberto Perez on the 10-day injured list with a fractured right ring finger, selected the contract of fellow backstop Rene Rivera, and designated outfielder Ben Gamel for assignment, Mandy Bell of MLB.com was among those to report.

Perez suffered the injury April 13 on a crossup with reliever James Karinchak, but it has become enough of a problem for him to land on the IL three weeks later. Perhaps thanks in part to the injury, the defensively adept Perez has recorded an unproductive .131/.274/.295 line with three home runs in 73 plate appearances this year.

The Indians will now pair catcher Austin Hedges with Rivera, whom they signed to a minor league contract last month. Rivera, 37, is a journeyman who hasn’t hit much in the majors since he debuted in 2004, and he totaled a mere 24 plate appearances with the Mets from 2019-20.

Gamel was another minors signing for the Indians in the offseason, and though he made their Opening Day roster, the 28-year-old didn’t do enough to hold down a spot. He wound up going 1-for-14 with a double and six strikeouts against three walks before the Indians sent him down on April 17.

Gamel has one more minor league option left, and considering he has put up passable offensive numbers throughout his career and lined up at all three outfield positions, he could catch on someplace else via trade or waivers in the next week.

Indians Sign Rene Rivera

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The Indians have signed veteran catcher Rene Rivera to a minor league contract and assigned him to their alternate training site, per a club announcement. He’s represented by MDR Sports Management.

Rivera, 37, has spent the past two seasons with the Mets organization — a return to the organization with which he has spent the most time in the Major Leagues. He tallied just four plate appearances last summer and only 20 the previous year, however. He hasn’t reached 100 plate appearances in the big leagues since the 2017 season, which he split between the Mets and the Cubs.

Rivera doesn’t hit much and never really has. He’s the consummate glove-first, grizzled veteran backstop who draws praise for framing, throwing, calling a sound game and offering plenty of veteran insight to young pitchers and catchers alike. He’s a career .221/.272/.353 hitter in 1551 plate appearances at the MLB level.

Cleveland has Roberto Perez and Austin Hedges currently atop its depth chart for catchers, while fellow veteran Ryan Lavarnway is at the team’s alternate site as well. Perez is out to a fast start this season, while Hedges is 1-for-8 with a solo homer (and just 2-for-20 dating back to last season’s acquisition). Of course, Hedges himself is a defense-first catcher with enough power to occasionally run into a big fly, so the lack of offense in that tiny sample isn’t a huge shock. Hedges, however, is regarded as one of the best, if not the best defensive catcher in baseball, so he’s unlikely to be displaced by Rivera anytime soon (barring injury).

Mets Add Ronny Mauricio To 60-Player Pool

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The Mets have added infield prospect Ronny Mauricio to their 60-man player pool and placed catcher Rene Rivera on the 45-day injured list, Anthony DiComo of MLB.com tweets. Rivera’s dealing with a hyperextended left elbow.

Mauricio is still just 19 years old and hasn’t played above the Single-A level, so he remains a ways off from the majors. Regardless, not only does he rate as one the Mets’ top farmhands, but one of the game’s best prospects in general. For example, Baseball America places Mauricio at No. 70 overall and writes he has the ceiling of a “classic power-hitting corner infielder.”

Mauricio is now the third Mets prospect to join their player pool since Saturday, following catcher Francisco Alvarez and right-hander Matthew Allan. As MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk noted then, only players in teams’ pools are eligible to be traded prior to the Aug. 31 deadline. That obviously doesn’t mean the Mets are going to move any of these players (Mauricio would be especially tough to pry away), but the option is there if an enticing enough offer comes along. In all likelihood, though, the Mets added the three for developmental purposes.

Latest On Marcus Stroman

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Mets right-hander Marcus Stroman hasn’t debuted this year because of a tear in his left calf muscle, but the club’s No. 2 starter continues to make progress in his recovery. Stroman got through a four-inning simulated game unscathed on Friday, Tim Healey of Newsday relays.

Manager Luis Rojas said Stroman had “a very productive day,” though it remains unclear when the 29-year-old will be able to rejoin the Mets’ rotation.

Without Stroman, who’s facing a key year as a high-profile pending free agent, the Mets have turned to left-hander David Peterson to fill the void in their starting staff. That has gone well so far, as Peterson turned in 5 2/3 innings of two-run ball in a win over the Red Sox on Tuesday. As for the rest of New York’s rotation, back-to-back NL Cy Young winner Jacob deGrom has been his usual self thus far, and Steven Matz and Michael Wacha have prevented runs with aplomb through a combined three starts. However, Rick Porcello took a beating at the hands of the Braves in his first Mets start last Sunday. Porcello’s back on the mound in Atlanta on Friday.

Elsewhere on the Mets’ roster, the club has placed catcher Rene Rivera on the 10-day injured list with a hyperextended left (non-throwing) elbow and recalled righty Franklyn Kilome, per Healey. Rivera has joined Tomas Nido in starting one game behind the plate for the Mets this season, but the lion’s share of work has unsurprisingly gone to Wilson Ramos.

Rivera’s injury means the 25-year-old Kilome may get a chance to make his major league debut after working back from October 2018 Tommy John surgery. Kilome, whom the Mets acquired from the Phillies for infielder Asdrubal Cabrera just a few months before he underwent surgery, logged a 4.03 ERA/3.17 FIP with 9.95 K/9 against 2.37 BB/9 over 38 innings in his first action with the New York organization two years ago.

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