Yankees Claim Ryan Dull
The Yankees announced Wednesday that they’ve claimed right-hander Ryan Dull off outright waivers from the Giants. In order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Brady Lail was designated for assignment.
Dull, 29, was designated for assignment by both Bay Area teams in the span of nine days this month. The longtime Athletics reliever never made it to the Majors with the Giants in his extremely brief time with the organization, as San Francisco optioned him to Triple-A Sacramento immediately upon acquiring him.
Dull has been up and down with Oakland over the past five seasons, pitching to a collective 4.08 ERA with 8.7 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 167 2/3 innings of work. The right-hander’s best year came with the 2016 A’s, when he logged 74 1/3 frames of 2.42 ERA ball, but he’s been hampered by knee and shoulder injuries since that time. In a total of 76 1/3 big league innings since Opening Day 2017, Dull has posted an underwhelming 5.66 ERA with a 74-to-27 K/BB ratio. He’s averaged just over 11 strikeouts and 2.3 walks per nine innings pitched throughout his minor league career.
Lail, 25, was the Yankees’ 18th-round pick back in 2012 and made his MLB debut just last week, tossing 2 2/3 innings but allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits. He’s been solid out of the bullpen across three minor league levels this year, as evidenced by a 2.79 ERA with 11.8 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 42 innings of work.
Giants Claim Burch Smith, Designate Ryan Dull
The Giants have claimed right-hander Burch Smith off waivers from the Brewers, Adam McCalvy of MLB.com tweets. Smith had been in limbo since the Brewers designated him for assignment Friday. The Giants opened up a spot for Smith by designating fellow righty Ryan Dull for assignment, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group reports.
Smith’s the second waiver claim since Friday for the Giants, who took Kyle Barraclough from the Nationals then. Smith, like Barraclough, will report to Triple-A Sacramento. The 29-year-old Smith has pitched to an ugly 7.82 ERA/6.69 FIP with 9.95 K/9 against 7.11 BB/9 in 12 2/3 major league innings this season. He has been much better over 77 1/3 Triple-A frames, however, with a 2.33 ERA/4.29 FIP, 9.89 K/9 and 4.31 BB/9.
The 29-year-old Dull lasted only a week on the Giants’ 40-man – they claimed him from the Bay Area rival Athletics last Monday. Dull didn’t throw a pitch for the Giants, instead tossing three frames of three-run ball with their Triple-A affiliate. The once-promising major leaguer has spent the majority of the past two seasons in the minors.
West Notes: Hill, Mariners, Martes, Panda
There was already speculation that Rich Hill would be used as a reliever when he returns from the injured list, and Dodgers manager Dave Roberts confirmed it today, telling reporters (including The Athletic’s Pedro Moura) that there isn’t enough time left in the season for Hill to properly prepare for a starter’s workload. A flexor tendon strain has sidelined Hill since June 20, and while he is making progress in his rehab, it seems like he is still some weeks away from getting back on a big league mound.
In terms of the postseason rotation, Hyun-Jin Ryu, Walker Buehler, and Clayton Kershaw is an awfully enviable top three, though as Moura notes, the battle for the fourth starter’s job is up for grabs. Kenta Maeda, Dustin May, Julio Urias, and Tony Gonsolin are all candidates, or Moura says the club could pick more than one of these arms in “a piggy-back combination.” With a big lead in the NL West, L.A. has plenty of time to experiment for the remainder of the regular season.
Here’s more from both the NL and AL West…
- Mariners outfielders Mitch Haniger and Braden Bishop are both set to begin rehab assignments at Class-A Modesto on Tuesday, MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes. Both players have been out of action for almost two months due to frightening injuries — Haniger underwent surgery to fix a ruptured testicle, while Bishop suffered a lacerated spleen just prior to his call-up to the big leagues in early June. In other Mariners injury news, Felix Hernandez will make a rehab start for Seattle’s Class-A affiliate in Everett this week. Johns figures after that outing, Hernandez will still need to put in a rehab outing at Triple-A (which would be the veteran right-hander’s fourth rehab start overall) “before there’ll be any consideration of rejoining the Mariners.”
- The Astros are close to adding Francis Martes back to their 40-man roster, the Houston Chronicle’s Chandler Rome writes. The right-hander was issued an 80-game PED suspension back in March, and his stint on the restricted list was extended due to a visa issue that has now been resolved. Martes still isn’t any closer to pitching, however, since he underwent Tommy John surgery almost exactly one year ago and won’t be ready until Spring Training. Martes posted a 5.80 ERA over 54 1/3 innings for the Astros in 2017, which marked his only Major League appearance. Martes was a consensus top-30 prospect prior to the 2017 campaign, though even before his TJ surgery and suspension, his stock had already begun to drop due to shaky Triple-A numbers in 2017 and 2018.
- Pablo Sandoval has loose bodies in his elbow that could require offseason surgery to correct, Giants manager Bruce Bochy told the San Francisco Chronicle’s Henry Schulman and other reporters. For now, Sandoval is being rested as he deals with elbow inflammation. If Sandoval does go under the knife, such surgeries are usually relatively minor procedures, though any sort of injury red flag is of note for a pending free agent, especially given how the market has been so unfriendly to veteran corner-infield types like Sandoval in recent years. The Panda celebrated his 33rd birthday on Sunday, and the longtime Giants fan favorite is enjoying his best season in years, hitting .269/.314/.509 over 295 PA as a part-time player in San Francisco.
Recovery Notes: Moncada, Cueto, Dickerson, Nelson, Loaisiga, Luzardo
We’ve already heard of one notable player making progress in his attempt to return from injury yesterday. We’ll round up a few more notes here.
- White Sox star infielder Yoán Moncada took a small step in his return from a hamstring strain that knocked him from action a week and a half ago, reports David Just of the Chicago Sun-Times. He took batting practice and infield drills and emerged feeling optimistic about his outlook. While the switch-hitter noted he still has “some discomfort,” particularly when charging ground balls or hitting right-handed, he’s “feeling better, way better” than he did when he first suffered the injury. There’s no timetable for his return, and the 52-63 White Sox will surely play things cautiously with the 24 year-old, who is a central piece of their rebuild. The former top prospect has actualized his tools this season to slash (an admittedly somewhat BABIP-inflated) .301/.358/.535 (134 wRC+).
- Johnny Cueto made his second rehab appearance in the rookie level Arizona League Friday, tweets Maria Guardado of MLB.com. Guardado notes he maxed out at 92 MPH, right in line with the low-90’s fastball he sported before going down with Tommy John surgery. While the Giants’ miserable August has all but ended any hope they had of a surprise Wild Card run, getting Cueto back on the mound this season could offer something of a morale boost for a still-important piece of the organization. The 33 year-old is guaranteed $47MM for the remainder of his six-year contract ($21MM per year through 2021 with a $5MM buyout on a 2022 club option).
- One of Cueto’s future teammates is about to embark on a rehab assignment of his own. Outfielder Alex Dickerson, who went on the injured list August 1 with an oblique strain, will begin a minor-league assignment Tuesday with Triple-A Sacramento, tweets Andrew Baggarly of the Athletic. The 29 year-old has a laundry list of injuries in his career, but he’s always been a promising offensive player, prompting San Francisco to acquire him in a minor trade with the division-rival Padres. He’s mashed since then, putting together a .386/.449/.773 line in 98 plate appearances.
- Brewers right-hander Jimmy Nelson, who went down in June with an elbow injury, will work out of the bullpen on rehab in Double-A San Antonio, tweets Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Nelson isn’t eligible to be activated until August 26. A burgeoning ace in 2017, Nelson has lost most of the last two seasons to arm injuries. While he returned from an 18-month absence stemming from shoulder surgery in June, his fastball velocity was down over 2 miles per hour from his 2017 peak, per Brooks Baseball, reflecting the toll the surgery had taken. While there may still be hope for the 30 year-old as a starter in the long run, any 2019 impact he can make will be in short stints for the playoff-hopeful Brew Crew.
- Like Nelson, Jonathan Loáisiga may be able to make an impact on a contending bullpen down the stretch. The 24 year-old Yankee right-hander has been out since May 10 with a strained throwing shoulder, but he threw three innings Friday with Triple-A Scranton Wilkes-Barre. As MLB.com Bryan’s Hoch tweets, manager Aaron Boone confirmed Loáisiga could return this week to bolster one of baseball’s top bullpens.
- Another promising young arm is on the doorstep of the big leagues. Jesús Luzardo, Baseball America’s #12 prospect, was unscathed through three rehab innings in the High-A California League, tweets Martín Gallegos of MLB.com. He’ll pitch again at the same level Thursday, Gallegos adds. A lat strain has delayed Luzardo’s big league debut, but scouting reports and his high minors performance indicate he could contribute, if healthy, to the A’s playoff push down the stretch.
Steven Duggar Weighing Shoulder Surgery
Giants outfielder Steven Duggar says that he has been diagnosed with a grade 3 sprain of his left AC joint, as Henry Schulman of the San Francisco Chronicle was among those to report (Twitter links). While he’s heading for a second opinion, Duggar says he’s leaning towards surgery.
The San Francisco organization had only recently called Duggar back up to the bigs when he came up injured. He was shifted to the 60-day IL earlier today, meaning that the team has already scratched him for the rest of the season. Clearly, the focus will be on getting Duggar back to health. Worryingly, he also ended his 2018 season with a significant left shoulder injury.
The 25-year-old had been seen by some as a key potential part of the Giants outfield for some time to come, but he’ll be a question mark entering 2020. In addition to the health issues, Duggar simply has not produced in the majors when healthy. Through 281 plate appearances on the year, he carries a .234/.278/.341 batting line with four home runs.
There’s still promise for Duggar. He was much better this year at Triple-A, where he was walking nearly as often as he struck out while showing much more power. And he’s a gifted defender, so it’s not as if he needs to be a monster at the plate to be a useful big leaguer.
The move on Duggar created space for the activation of lefty Travis Bergen. The Rule 5 pick had been working back from a shoulder injury. It seems the club remains committed to carrying him for the rest of the season, though that could change as time goes on.
Giants Claim Kyle Barraclough
The Giants have claimed right-handed reliever Kyle Barraclough off waivers from the Nationals, Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic reports. He’ll head to Triple-A Sacramento. Meanwhile, infielder Tyler Austin has elected free agency after clearing waivers (Twitter links).
Barraclough was a failed offseason pickup for the Nationals, who acquired him with the expectation he’d help repair their bullpen. Instead, the 29-year-old recorded a 6.66 ERA/6.57 FIP with 10.52 K/9 against 4.21 BB/9 in 25 2/3 innings. The Nationals then designated him for assignment earlier this week.
Austin, 27, joined Barraclough in being designated this week. He struggled to a .187/.283/.403 line with eight home runs in 152 plate appearances this season before the Giants moved on from him.
Mets Interested In Joe Panik
FRIDAY: There’s “a strong chance” Panik will sign with the Mets when he clears waivers, Martino writes.
THURSDAY: The Mets have interest in Giants second baseman Joe Panik, Andy Martino of SNY.tv reports. Panik was designated for assignment Tuesday and placed on release waivers yesterday, and he’ll officially enter into free agency at noon CT on Friday if he isn’t claimed by another team in the interim.
The Mets’ interest may hinge on whether or not Panik is actually on the open market. If Panik were to sign as a free agent, New York would only be responsible for paying him a prorated MLB minimum salary for the rest of the season (roughly $164K) and the Giants would have to cover the $956K still owed to Panik for the remainder of the one-year, $3.8MM contract he signed last offseason. If the Mets were to just claim Panik off waivers, they’d have to pay him the entire $1.12MM in remaining salary themselves.
As recently noted by The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal, the Mets are quite close to the luxury tax threshold of $206MM, as Roster Resource estimates New York’s luxury tax number at just under $203.38MM, counting the newly-signed Brad Brach‘s minimum salary. Since the team is loath to make any tax payments and player movement is more difficult now that the trade deadline has passed, the Mets are targeting players like Panik or Brach, who can potentially contribute while their former teams foot the bulk of the bill. MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports that at least one other team besides the Mets has interest in Panik, though it isn’t known if this mystery team is willing to make a claim for Panik, or if they are also waiting for Panik to hit free agency.
Panik would provide New York with a short-term replacement for Robinson Cano at second base while Cano is on the injured list, though it’s a fair question to wonder how much Panik can produce in the wake of his recent performance. Aside from an All-Star season in 2015, Panik has been a below-average hitter for the rest of his career, including hitting only .245/.308/.325 over 780 plate appearances since the start of the 2018 campaign. As maligned as Cano’s 2019 season has been, Panik has actually been worse — Cano’s 0.4 fWAR is superior to Panik’s sub-replacement level -0.2 fWAR.
Still, at a minimum price, there’s little harm for the Mets in taking a flier on Panik if nothing else than an extra body in their infield mix. Panik would also add another left-handed bat to a largely right-handed Mets lineup, and his presence at second base would allow Jeff McNeil to remain largely in the outfield.
NL West Notes: Giants, Harper, Padres, Gore, Green, D’Backs
A roller coaster of a season has seen the Giants go from league doormats to wild card contenders, while deploying a seemingly endless revolving door of outfielders along the way. With this in mind, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic looks back on the Giants’ pursuit of Bryce Harper last winter, which obviously would have completely changed the shape of the season had the future Phillie opted to come to San Francisco. While the pursuit of value signings, particularly in the outfield, have defined Farhan Zaidi’s first season running the Giants’ front office, it was Zaidi who led the interest in Harper’s services, with Giants ownership feeling that Harper’s large salary demands would’ve been somewhat offset by an increase in attendance and overall fan interest. “It’s a what-if game they’ll be playing at Oracle Park for years to come,” Pavlovic writes.
More from around the NL West…
- The Padres are shutting down MacKenzie Gore from competitive innings in the coming weeks, Jeff Saunders of the San Diego Union-Tribune writes, though the star prospect will continue to throw on the side and could possibly return to help Double-A Amarillo reach their playoffs. The left-hander has tossed 99 1/3 combined innings this season at Double-A and high-A ball this season, a sizeable jump up from the 60 frames Gore tossed at A-level Fort Wayne in 2018 (and his 21 1/3 innings in rookie ball in 2017). While there aren’t any real injury concerns with Gore, San Diego is naturally being as cautious as possible with Gore’s development, given his importance to the Padres’ future plans.
- The Padres face several questions heading into the offseason, as The Athletic’s Dennis Lin (subscription required) addresses in a reader mailbag piece. The Padres still have to learn whether several young players, such as Francisco Mejia and Manuel Margot, can be reliable everyday big leaguers, but Lin also feels some of the uncertainty could extend to manager Andy Green. While winning wasn’t a priority in Green’s first three seasons since the team was rebuilding, more than a 52-61 mark was expected in 2019, particularly after Manny Machado and Fernando Tatis Jr. joined the roster. “Has Green proven himself particularly adept at player development or capable of steering a competitive team? No one will dispute his work ethic, but nearly four years in, the jury remains out on both counts,” Lin writes. While Green’s contract runs through the 2021 season, Lin notes that other rebuilding teams in recent years (i.e. the Cubs and Joe Maddon, the Phillies and Gabe Kapler) have made a managerial change once they felt on the cusp of returning to contention.
- Now that the Diamondbacks have dealt Zack Greinke, GM Mike Hazen estimates the team could have around $20MM in extra funds in both 2020 and 2021. “I’m assuming there’s going to be some more freedom to explore some things we haven’t explored in the past,” Hazen told Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic, though specifics aren’t yet known about what the club’s payroll capacity will be without Greinke on the books. 2018 and 2019 saw the D’Backs post the two highest Opening Day payrolls in club history, topping out at over $131.5MM at the start of the 2018 season. Now, the D’Backs have just under $68MM in guaranteed money for 2020, though that number will increase significantly due to arbitration raises. While it doesn’t seem likely that the Snakes will again approach $206.5MM on a future signing, Hazen didn’t feel the Greinke contract was a mistake given how well the ace righty pitched, crediting the much-maligned former D’Backs front office led by Tony La Russa and Dave Stewart. “They were right on Zack Greinke. We weren’t able to put it together the way we would have hoped while he was here,” Hazen said. “But they were right on him. It was a good deal.”
Giants Place Shaun Anderson, Steven Duggar On IL
The Giants announced Thursday that they’ve placed right-hander Shaun Anderson and outfielder Steven Duggar on the injured list. Anderson is dealing with a blister on his right middle finger, while Duggar’s down with a left shoulder AC joint sprain. The club recalled lefty Sam Selman and outfielder Joey Rickard from Triple-A Sacramento in corresponding moves.
The injury comes amid a rough stretch for the 24-year-old Anderson, who hasn’t recorded a quality start since June 23. The Nationals roughed up Anderson in his most recent start Wednesday, contributing to the rookie’s 5.33 ERA on the season. Anderson also owns a 4.97 FIP with 5.99 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 in 82 2/3 innings.
This will be his second IL placement of the year for Duggar, who has been among the least valuable players in the majors this season. The 25-year-old has taken 281 trips to the plate in 2019 and slashed .234/.278/.341 (63 wRC+) with four home runs and minus-0.5 fWAR. It’s possible he’ll now require season-ending surgery, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group tweets. Duggar previously underwent a season-ending procedure on his left shoulder as a rookie in 2018.
Duggar’s latest issue will open the door for Rickard, who hasn’t taken a major league at-bat since the Giants claimed him from the Orioles in late June. The 28-year-old Rickard has been great in Sacramento, where he has batted .358/.406/.568 (134 wRC+) with four homers in 165 plate appearances. But Rickard wasn’t nearly that productive in the majors as a member of the Orioles, with whom he hit .245/.299/.372 (80 wRC+) with 19 HRs and 16 steals across 924 PA from 2016-19.
Giants Place Joe Panik On Release Waivers
The Giants announced today that they have placed second baseman Joe Panik on unconditional relief waivers. He had been designated for assignment recently.
This was the likely outcome of the situation once Panik hit DFA limbo. He’d have had the right to elect free agency had he been outrighted. It seems most likely that Panik will end up on the open market. A claiming team would have to take on the remainder of his $3.8MM salary. Instead, they can wait and pay him only for a pro-rated portion of the league minimum salary.
Either way, Panik will be eligible for arbitration one final time in the 2020 season. It’s unlikely he’ll be tendered, but perhaps that’s still possible if he catches on elsewhere and turns things around down the stretch.