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Robert Stock

Mets Claim Robert Stock, Expected To Activate Michael Conforto Wednesday

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7:20 pm: Conforto’s absence is indeed related to contact tracing protocols at Syracuse, the club announced. He has tested negative for COVID-19 and is expected to be reinstated in advance of tomorrow evening’s game against the Braves.

5:17 pm: The Mets announced they’ve claimed right-hander Robert Stock off waivers from the Cubs. He’s been optioned to Triple-A Syracuse. Infielder Brandon Drury was also optioned, while catcher Patrick Mazeika was recalled.

Chicago just selected Stock to the big league roster last week. Generally a reliever, he made a four-inning spot start last Wednesday that ironically came against his new team. The 31-year-old allowed five runs on six walks while only striking out three, but the Mets were evidently intrigued by their then-opponent. After the Cubs designated him for assignment last weekend, New York put in a claim.

Stock has pitched to a 4.12 ERA with very strong strikeout and walk rates (30.5% and 4.9%, respectively) in Triple-A this year. He can be optioned for the rest of this season, so he’ll offer the Mets a flexible depth piece on the pitching staff.

Notably, the Mets did not reinstate outfielder Michael Conforto from the IL today. General manager Zack Scott told reporters (including Anthony DiComo of MLB.com) earlier in the day that the All-Star outfielder would return tonight. Notably, the Syracuse Mets, where Conforto had been on a rehab assignment, have since announced they’re dealing with a COVID-19 situation. It’s not clear if Conforto not being reinstated is related in any way.

Cubs Select Kyle Ryan, Designate Robert Stock

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The Cubs announced a trio of roster moves this morning, including the news that left-hander Kyle Ryan’s contract has been selected from Triple-A.  To create roster space for Ryan, righty Cory Abbott was optioned to Triple-A and right-hander Robert Stock was designated for assignment.

Ryan returns to the active roster after being DFA’ed and then outrighted to Triple-A earlier this season.  After being a major part of Chicago’s bullpen in 2019, Ryan struggled to a 5.17 ERA over 15 2/3 innings in 2020, thanks in large part to six homers allowed in that brief amount of work.  However, the southpaw has given up only one homer in 21 1/3 combined innings for the Cubs and at Triple-A Iowa this year — while another small sample size, it looks like Ryan has gotten his homer problem under control.

He’ll be a fresh arm for a Chicago bullpen that also features three other lefties (Andrew Chafin, Brad Wieck, Rex Brothers), and Ryan will also contribute to a Cubs pitching staff that has prioritized keeping the ball on the ground this season.  The Cubs rank fourth in the majors in pitcher groundball rate, and Ryan has a 54.5% grounder rate over his seven MLB seasons.

Stock was only selected to the active roster earlier this week, and he allowed five runs over four innings in a spot start — his first start in 53 career games in the big leagues.  The Cubs claimed Stock off waivers from the Red Sox in December and already designated him and outrighted him off the 40-man earlier this season, so Stock has the option to elect free agency.

Cubs Select Robert Stock, Place Dillon Maples On IL

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The Cubs announced a series of moves before tonight’s game against the Mets. Robert Stock was selected to the roster, while Cory Abbott was recalled from Triple-A Iowa. Dillon Maples was placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 15, with a right triceps strain, and Trevor Megill was optioned to Iowa. To create 40-man roster space for Stock’s selection, Chicago transferred catcher P.J. Higgins from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list.

Chicago claimed Stock off waivers over the winter, but they ultimately outrighted him off the 40-man before the season began. The hard-throwing righty has spent the year in Iowa, where he’s tossed 19 2/3 innings of 4.12 ERA ball. That’s not an eye-catching level of run prevention, but Stock’s peripherals look much better. He’s punched out 30.5% of opponents in Triple-A while walking just 4.9% of batters faced.

The latter number is especially crucial for Stock, who’s been plagued by control issues at the big league level in recent seasons. The 31-year-old walked an untenable 15.3% of hitters with the Padres and Red Sox between 2019-20, contributing to a 7.13 ERA over 24 frames. The Cubs will give him a chance to carry over his seeming newfound control at the big league level. Stock’s 2021 MLB debut will come tonight, as he’s on the mound as an opener against New York.

Losing Maples is a tough blow for the Cubs bullpen. The 29-year-old has appeared in the big leagues in each of the past five seasons, but his 22 2/3 innings this year is easily a career-high. Maples has pitched to a sterling 1.99 ERA over that time with elite strikeout (33.7%) and ground ball (52.3%) numbers. Maples boasts some of the best stuff in baseball, with elite velocity and spin on each of his four-seam fastball, cutter-slider and curveball. He’s always walked a fine line with his control, though, and Maples has continued to dole out free passes at an alarming rate (14.7%) this season.

Higgins went on the IL last week with a forearm strain. He’ll now be sidelined until at least mid-August. Recent testing revealed more significant damage than expected in his elbow, reports Sahadev Sharma of the Athletic (Twitter link). The 28-year-old Higgins has picked up his first 25 MLB plate appearances this season, serving as a backup to Willson Contreras.

Minor MLB Transactions: 3/3/21

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Today’s minor transactions:

  • The Cubs outrighted hurler Robert Stock to Triple-A after he cleared waivers, Bruce Levine of 670 The Score tweets. The team previously designated the right-handed Stock for assignment on Feb. 28, which came two-plus months after it claimed him from the Red Sox via waivers at the beginning of December. The hard-throwing 31-year-old has been part of seven major league organizations, and he appeared in the bigs in each of the previous three seasons. Stock owns a 4.24 ERA/4.07 SIERA and a 50.8 percent grounder rate in 63 2/3 innings, though he has registered unspectacular strikeout and walk percentages of 23.6 and 10.9, respectively.

Cubs Designate Robert Stock For Assignment

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The Cubs are designating right-hander Robert Stock for assignment, per Jordan Bastian of MLB.com (Twitter link). The move clears 40-man roster space for left-hander Kyle Ryan, who was activated from the COVID-19 list, per Russell Dorsey of the Chicago Sun-Times. Chicago claimed Stock off waivers from the Red Sox last December.

A former Cardinals’ second-round pick as a catching prospect, Stock washed out as a position player but clicked after a conversion to the mound. The hard-throwing reliever earned a big league job with the 2018 Padres and showed some promise, pitching to a 2.50 ERA/3.61 SIERA over 39.2 innings.

Stock wasn’t able to carry that success over in the following seasons, though, thanks largely to difficulty throwing strikes. He has a 7.13 ERA across 24 innings over the past two seasons with San Diego and Boston. Stock’s 24.6% strikeout rate in that time is adequate, but he’s issued walks at an untenable 15.3% clip.

Despite his control issues, it’s easy to see why Stock has continued to attract interest from teams with space available at the back of the 40-man roster. Stock’s four-seam fastball sits in the mid-high 90’s. He has gotten swings and misses at a near league-average rate and has induced ground balls on a strong 50.8% of balls in play over his big league career. Perhaps there’s still some hope the late-blooming Stock could develop adequate control and stick in a team’s middle relief mix.

The Cubs have a week to trade Stock or place him on waivers. He hasn’t yet reached arbitration and still has a minor-league option year remaining, so he’d represent a rather flexible depth piece for potential acquiring clubs.

Cubs Claim Robert Stock

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The Cubs announced that right-hander Robert Stock has been claimed off waivers from the Red Sox.  Stock was designated for assignment by Boston last week.

Stock posted a 4.73 ERA over 13 1/3 innings for the Red Sox last season.  The 31-year-old has a 4.24 ERA, 2.16 K/BB rate, and 9.5 K/9 over 63 2/3 career innings with Boston and San Diego from 2018-20, though Stock also pitched for a number of different organizations (both MLB-affiliated and in independent ball and Mexico) since the Cardinals made him a second-round pick in the 2009 draft.

Control has been something of an issue for Stock both in the minors and particularly in the majors over the course of his career, though he does have a live fastball that regularly sits in the mid-90s.  There’s little risk for the Cubs in seeing if they can turn that live arm into a more reliable bullpen weapon as Chicago looks to add relief help this offseason.

Red Sox Claim Joel Payamps, Designate Robert Stock

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The Red Sox announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Joel Payamps off waivers from the D-backs and designated fellow righty Robert Stock for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Boston also announced that right-hander Ryan Weber and southpaw Matt Hall, both of whom were designated for assignment last Friday, were assigned to Triple-A Pawtucket after clearing outright waivers.

Payamps, 26, has just seven Major League innings under his belt. He’s struggled in a hitter-friendly setting with Triple-A Reno in the Pacific Coast League but was solid in Double-A Jackson in both 2018 and 2019, working to a combined 2.95 ERA with a 135-to-19 K/BB ratio in 128 innings. Payamps has worked as both a starter and a reliever in the minors, and he has a minor league option remaining for the upcoming 2021 season, which surely appeals to the Sox.

Stock, 31, has a big fastball and punched out 14 hitters in 13 1/3 innings with the Red Sox this past season, but he’s battled control issues throughout his MLB career (31 walks, three hit batters, 10 wild pitches in 63 2/3 frames).

The Red Sox gave the journeyman Weber a rotation opportunity in 2020 and held out hopes that he could elevate his game to a new level with some tweaks to his repertoire. However, while Weber managed a respectable 4.40 ERA in 43 innings of work, he also posted a lackluster 27-to-14 K/BB ratio and a 5.54 FIP. Hall was acquired out of the Tigers organization and drew some intrigue for the huge spin on his breaking ball, but he also struggled in a more limited sample with the Red Sox. Both were designated for assignment last Friday as the Sox set their roster in advance of next month’s Rule 5 Draft.

Red Sox Claim Robert Stock

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The Red Sox have claimed right-hander Robert Stock off waivers from the Phillies, as per a team press release.  Philadelphia designed Stock for assignment earlier this week.

Stock represents the latest new arm in Boston’s organization, as the Sox have also added the likes of Zack Godley, Dylan Covey, and Stephen Gonsalves in recent days in an attempt to shore up a pitching staff thinned by injuries, COVID-related absences (i.e. Eduardo Rodriguez) and opt-outs (Collin McHugh).  The Red Sox have optioned Stock to their minor league training site, though it isn’t hard to imagine him getting a call to the MLB roster at some point, as the Sox continue to figure out their optimal bullpen mix.

The hard-throwing Stock has a 4.11 ERA over 50 1/3 career innings, all as a reliever, and all with the Padres from 2018-19.  After posting a 2.50 ERA in 39 2/3 frames in 2018, Stock struggled to a 10.13 ERA over 10 2/3 innings last season as his walk rate and homer rate both ballooned, and he also hit the injured list with a biceps strain in September.

Stock was a second-round pick for the Cardinals in the 2009 draft, though he pitched for a few different organizations (as well as stints in Mexico and independent baseball) before finally reaching the Show in 2018.  The 30-year-old has a 3.74 ERA, 1.54 K/BB rate, and 8.5 K/9 over 327 career minor league innings, working as a reliever in 210 of his 217 appearances.

Phillies Designate Robert Stock For Assignment, Set Opening Day Roster

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The Phillies set their Opening Day roster this morning, announcing within their press release that righty Robert Stock was designated for assignment. The club has selected the contracts of veteran infielder Neil Walker and right-handers Trevor Kelley and Ramon Rosso. The Phils also reinstated Scott Kingery, Hector Neris, Tommy Hunter and lefty Austin Davis from the injured list. The Phils’ initial roster only includes 29 players, MLB.com’s Todd Zolecki notes, but it seems they could yet add veteran infielder Phil Gosselin to the mix. They’ll first need to make another 40-man move to clear space on the roster, however, which is likely the reason he has not yet been included.

Stock, 30, averages nearly 98 mph on his heater and posted a 4.11 ERA with 9.5 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 50 percent ground-ball rate in 50 1/3 innings with the Padres between 2018-19. That’s a solid-enough resume, but he’s still bounced from St. Louis, to Houston, to Pittsburgh, to Cincinnati, to San Diego and Philadelphia since being a 2009 second-round pick and has only these past two seasons of MLB work on his resume.

Injuries have played their role, but Stock also has struggled to locate the ball throughout his time in the minor leagues (career 5.5 BB/9). He has a pair of minor league options remaining and was claimed by the Phils the last time he hit waivers, so perhaps another club will speculate on his powerful right arm.

It was already known that the veteran Walker would make the club’s Opening Day roster. The former Pirates stalwart has long been a steady producer and has recently added more positions to his repertoire, appearing at third base, first base and in the outfield corners. The switch-hitter batted .261/.344/.395 in 381 plate appearances with the Marlins last year and won a spot on the Phillies over veterans Logan Forsythe and Josh Harrison, among others.

Rosso, 24, has a strong minor league track record as a starter but seems likelier to operate out of the bullpen early in the season. It’ll be his MLB debut whenever he gets into a game. Kelley appeared in the big leagues with th Red Sox last year and was a waiver claim by the Phils, who later outrighted him off the 40-man but kept him in the organization. He pitched his way back into the mix this summer and will get his first MLB look with the Phils in the near future.

Health Notes: Clase, Nimmo, May, Stock

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The Indians are awaiting the results of an MRI on flamethrowing relief prospect Emmanuel Clase, the team told reporters Wednesday (link via Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer). The 21-year-old righty has been feeling discomfort in his latissimus dorsi recently, including during yesterday’s throwing session, per GM Mike Chernoff. Clase, armed with a triple-digit sinker, was the centerpiece of the trade that sent Corey Kluber to Texas over the winter. Cleveland received the young righty and backup outfielder Delino DeShields Jr. in that swap, so any notable injury for Clase would leave the team with a part-time outfielder (and, of course, salary relief) as the immediate return for Kluber. If healthy, Clase should factor prominently into the Cleveland ’pen in 2020. He made his MLB debut in 2019, pitching to a 2.31 ERA with a 21-to-6 K/BB ratio in 23 1/3 innings of relief for the Rangers.

Some more injury situations worth monitoring…

  • Brandon Nimmo gave Mets fans something of a scare today, though details surrounding his status are still somewhat sparse. Nimmo was scratched from today’s game after the team’s cardiologist recommended that he undergo additional cardiac testing, the club told reporters (Twitter link via Anthony DiComo of MLB.com). Manager Luis Rojas eventually labeled the extra tests as “precautionary” and downplayed the severity of the issue, but it’s certainly out of the ordinary to see players go through multiple waves of cardiac examinations. The 26-year-old Nimmo missed a good chunk of the 2019 season due to neck issues and hit .221/.375/.407 through 254 plate appearances when healthy. Nimmo has been an on-base machine in his career, as evidenced by a lifetime .254/.387/.440 slash, but the 2018 season remains the only year in which he’s even played 70 games at the MLB level.
  • Prized Dodgers pitching prospect Dustin May is still being slowed by muscle pain in his side and hasn’t thrown off a mound since the first day of camp, tweets MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick. May impressed in his MLB debut in 2019, pitching to a 3.63 ERA with 32 strikeouts and just five walks in 34 2/3 innings of work despite the fact that he just turned 22 this past September. He ranks within the game’s top 25 overall prospects at Baseball America, FanGraphs, MLB.com, Baseball Prospectus and The Athletic. However, between the acquisition of David Price, the return of Alex Wood and May’s early discomfort, it’s not clear whether the touted young righty will factor into the Opening Day mix for the Dodgers. He should play a significant role on their pitching staff in 2020 regardless, but he’s a ways behind the rest of the club’s pitchers in camp at this point.
  • Perhaps no team has seen more bullpen injuries than the Phillies over the past year, and it seems that trend is continuing. Manager Joe Girardi tells Matt Gelb of The Athletic that right-hander Robert Stock is dealing with forearm tightness — possibly a flexor tendon issue. That’s an ominous outlook for any pitcher, though at this point there’s no timetable or definitive diagnosis, as he’s still undergoing testing. Stock, 30, is far from a household name but is on the Phillies’ 40-man roster, so a notable absence would likely lead to some additional moves. He spent the past two seasons with the Padres, struggling through 10 2/3 innings in 2019 but posting a sharp 2.50 ERA with just under a strikeout per inning in 39 2/3 frames back in 2018.
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