Minor MLB Transactions: 4/26/17
Here are Wednesday’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Rangers signed right-hander Walker Weickel to a minor league contract, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (Twitter link). The 23-year-old has spent his entire career prior to this point with the Padres, who selected him 55th overall back in the 2012 draft. Weickel’s career has been slowed by injuries, including Tommy John surgery, and he’s been limited to 22 1/3 innings over the past two seasons combined. Texas has assigned Weickel to extended Spring Training, per Grant.
- Right-hander Casey Fien‘s contract was selected by the Mariners prior to tonight’s game, the team announced. He’ll rejoin the club after previously being outrighted earlier this season. The 33-year-old Fien was slammed for seven runs on seven hits and three walks in 5 2/3 innings in his first stint with the Mariners. Though he’s struggled since the onset of the 2016 season, Fien was a reliable middle relief/setup option for the Twins from 2012-15, logging 223 2/3 innings with a 3.54 ERA, 7.9 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9. Seattle’s 40-man roster is once again full with Fien’s addition.
Mariners Place Felix Hernandez, Mitch Haniger On 10-Day DL
2:44pm: Hernandez is expected to be sidelined for two or three weeks at a minimum, per MLB.com’s Jon Morosi (via Twitter).
2:13pm: Both righty Felix Hernandez and outfielder Mitch Haniger are going on the 10-day DL after suffering injuries last night, as the team announced and Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune reported on Twitter.
Seattle made a variety of other roster moves, too. Righties Chase De Jong and Casey Fien, lefty Dillon Overton, and outfielder Ben Gamel are all headed onto the MLB roster. Meanwhile, righties Chris Heston and Evan Marshall have each been optioned back to Triple-A.
[RELATED: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]
In Hernandez’s case, he has been diagnosed with shoulder inflammation, as Dutton tweets. But it’s still not entirely clear whether that’s just an isolated issue or if there’s an underlying injury of greater concern causing the problem. The 31-year-old has been knocked around in his first five starts, allowing 14 earned runs on 39 hits.
As for Haniger, he has been a revelation. But an oblique issue will sideline him after 95 plate appearances of .338/.442/.600 hitting. It’s still not known how severe Haniger’s injury is or what kind of timeline he’ll be facing.
Needless to say, these DL placements constitute significant losses for a struggling Seattle club, though perhaps the hope remains that neither player will be out for an extended stretch. The M’s are already staring at a 6.5 game deficit in the AL West.
West Notes: Crawford, Profar, Diaz
Giants shortstop Brandon Crawford departed last night’s game with a groin strain, as Andrew Baggarly of the Mercury News reports. The veteran had already been scheduled to miss a few games on the bereavement list, but the club will be anxious to see how he feels upon his return. “I really haven’t felt anything like that before,” said Crawford, “so I can’t tell you how bad it is. It just felt tight. I didn’t feel a pop, so from what I hear, that’s good news.” San Francisco will likely bring up utilityman Kelby Tomlinson to fill in for Crawford during his three-day absence, Baggarly notes.
Here are a few more notes from out west:
- With the Rangers set to give Ryan Rua additional time in left field, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News, it seems that Jurickson Profar has again failed to capitalize upon a chance to lay claim to playing time. Through 46 plate appearances, he is slashing just .135/.289/.135, though at least he has managed as many walks as strikeouts (eight apiece). Now, the 24-year-old switch-hitter seems to be slotted beneath both Rua and Delino DeShields on the depth chart in left, with little apparent room to fit in the infield. There’s still time for Profar to find a way into the lineup, of course, but it also doesn’t help his cause that fellow former top prospect Joey Gallo has hit so well while filling in at third base. Profar’s future in Texas has long been in question, but that’s perhaps more true now than ever.
- The Mariners may increase the flexibility of their usage of closer Edwin Diaz, as Bob Dutton of the Tacoma News Tribune writes. Deploying the high-powered youngster for multiple innings and in non-traditional situations would line up with a leaguewide movement away from fixed bullpen roles. That certainly seems to be part of the impetus here — skipper Scott Servais notes that “you don’t want to not get the game to the 10th inning because you kept your closer fresh” — but it’s also the case that, per Servais, Diaz just “needs to pitch” more than he has been.
Haniger, Hernandez Heading Back To Seattle To Have Injuries Examined
10:20pm: Not only did Haniger exit with an injury, but top starter Felix Hernandez departed the game with what manager Scott Servais said after the game was a “dead arm” (Twitter link via Divish). Both players are leaving Detroit and headed back to Seattle to get looked at by doctors, with Hernandez’s shoulder apparently the primary area of focus. Divish tweets that Hernandez asked not to speak to the media before leaving the clubhouse and was “visibly upset” upon exiting.
Suffice it to say, any notable absence for Hernandez will be a significant blow for a Mariners rotation that is already without Drew Smyly for at least the first two months of the season. The Mariners did stock up on optionable, upper-level pitching depth this offseason — Chris Heston, Robert Whalen, Dillon Overton and Chase De Jong were all acquired in trades — but asking two of those names to replace the likes of Smyly and King Felix for any amount of time is a tall order.
From 2015-16 (and so far in 2017), the 31-year-old Hernandez hasn’t been the dominant Cy Young candidate that most had come to expect throughout his mid-20s. However, he still notched an ERA comfortably south of 4.00 in both of those seasons and entered play Tuesday with a 3.65 mark and a brilliant 20-to-1 K/BB ratio in 24 2/3 innings. Hernandez, though, was shelled by the Tigers tonight, allowing four runs on six hits and two walks before departing after just two innings of work.
8:39pm: Mariners right fielder Mitch Haniger, one of the early candidates for American League Rookie of the Year honors, exited tonight’s game with a strained oblique muscle, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times. While there’s no further word on the severity of the injury, oblique strains have a reputation for lingering for a month or more. The Mariners, of course, won’t provide further updates until tonight’s game is wrapped up. However, Divish adds in his column that Triple-A outfielder Ben Gamel is expected to replace Haniger on the 25-man roster, thereby suggesting that a trip to the disabled list is in Haniger’s future.
The 26-year-old Haniger is off to an astonishing start to the season, having compiled a robust .338/.442/.600 batting line through his first 95 plate appearances (including two hits in his two plate appearances tonight). Acquired alongside Jean Segura in the offseason trade that sent Taijuan Walker to the D-backs, Haniger has also clubbed four homers and stolen two bases. On the defensive side of the coin, both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating consider his work to be above-average (superlative, in the case of DRS, which already pegs him at +5 runs through just 176 innings).
[Related: Seattle Mariners Depth Chart]
The Mariners have plenty of outfield depth, although that depth took a bit of a hit over the weekend when the team rather surprisingly designated Leonys Martin for assignment. Even with Martin currently in DFA limbo, however, the Mariners have Guillermo Heredia, Jarrod Dyson, Taylor Motter and Danny Valencia as outfield-capable assets on the 25-man roster. In the minors, Gamel and Boog Powell are both on the 40-man roster. Top organizational prospect Tyler O’Neill, too, opened the season in Triple-A, though he’s played just 18 games at that level and has not gotten off to a strong start to the year (.208/.266/.417, 21 strikeouts in 79 plate appearances).
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/24/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- Mariners righty Jonathan Aro has been hit with a 50-game suspension for an unspecified violation of the Minor League Drug Prevention and Treatment Program, per an announcement. Unlike some recent suspensions, the sanction was not tied to performance-enhancing drugs, making it seem likely that Aro’s suspension relates to a drug of abuse. The 26-year-old reliever had been outrighted off of the 40-man roster previously. He has seen 11 innings of MLB action over the past two years, but has spent the bulk of his time since the start of 2015 pitching in the upper minors. In 88 Triple-A frames, Aro owns a 2.86 ERA with 8.0 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.
- The Padres announced that they have recalled outfielder Jabari Blash from Triple-A. With Travis Jankowski hitting the 10-day DL owing to a bone bruise on his right foot, the club was in need of another option in the outfield. The 27-year-old Blash has continued to punish pitching at the highest level of the minors, though it remains unclear how long a look he’ll get at the MLB level. For now, at least, he’s holding onto a 40-man spot and will get at least a brief shot to return to active duty in the majors.
- The Twins will select the contract of right-hander Nick Tepesch from Triple-A Rochester prior to tonight’s game, two sources tell Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press (Twitter links). Minnesota recently optioned fifth starter Adalberto Mejia to Triple-A and placed long reliever Justin Haley on the 10-day DL, so Tepesch could conceivably fill either of those spots (though the Twins already made a pair of corresponding roster moves, recalling Kennys Vargas and Buddy Boshers). The 26-year-old Tepesch inked a minor league deal with Minnesota this offseason and has fired 18 innings with a 2.00 ERA and a 17-to-4 K/BB ratio so far in Triple-A. In 223 Major League innings — most of which came with the Rangers when Twins GM Thad Levine was an assistant GM in Texas — Tepesch has a 4.68 ERA with 5.5 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 43.5 percent ground-ball rate. The corresponding 25-man and 40-man roster moves for Tepesch’s arrival remain unclear.
West Notes: Bumgarner, Jefferies, Athletics, Mariners
Madison Bumgarner‘s injury could mark the end of an era for the Giants, Tim Kawakami of the Mercury News writes. The short-term implications of the injury are clear — Bumgarner’s dirt bike crash will make it that much harder for the Giants to climb out of the 6-11 hole they’ve already dug. But Kawakami doesn’t suggest the injury even extinguishes the Giants’ playoff hopes. Rather, he thinks the rather silly cause of the injury upends Bumgarner’s nearly mythical status — Kawakami compares the old Bumgarner, the one who helped the Giants to three World Series wins and carried the team on his back in 2014, to Paul Bunyan. It also suggests that the Giants as a team no longer warrant the presumption that they’ll win just because they’ve done so in the past. Here’s more from the West divisions.
- Athletics prospect Daulton Jefferies will undergo Tommy John surgery, Scout.com’s Melissa Lockard writes. Jeffries was the 37th overall pick in last year’s draft out of UC-Berkeley despite missing part of the 2016 season due to a shoulder injury. The righty made five brief starts in rookie ball last year and had made two appearances with Class A+ Stockton this season. MLB.com currently rates him at the Athletics’ No. 8 prospect, praising his athleticism and delivery and noting he could eventually become a No. 4-type starter in the big leagues.
- Yesterday, the Athletics promoted 1B/OF Matt Olson and optioned righty Cesar Valdez to the minors, MLB.com’s Jane Lee tweeted. Olson gives the A’s an extra bench option, with Valdez heading to the minors after a spot start Thursday (a start that was, remarkably, his first big-league action since he was with Arizona in 2010). Once one of the Athletics’ top prospects, Olson’s stock has fallen somewhat as he’s risen through the system, but he still has an impressive 105 career minor-league home runs, and his abilities to play first and right field, and perhaps third base in a pinch, could help the A’s.
- Before last night’s game, the Mariners announced that they recalled righty Chase De Jong from Triple-A Tacoma and optioned righty Dan Altavilla to Tacoma. Altavilla had allowed three runs the previous night against the A’s, and De Jong had fared well in two Triple-A starts. The Mariners acquired De Jong from the Dodgers near the beginning of Spring Training, and he figured to contribute to their starting depth after pitching 147 innings with a 2.82 ERA, 8.1 K/9 and 2.4 BB/9 in a strong 2016 season in the high minors of the Dodgers’ system.
AL West Notes: Davis, Rangers, Haniger
Khris Davis has only been with the Athletics since a trade in the 2015-16 offseason, but the outfielder has fully embraced the organization and tells Jeff Passan of Yahoo Sports that he’d love to stay there long term. “It’s been something I could make my own, and I saw it as an opportunity to build something,” says Davis. “There’s a lot to do there, and I feel like I can be a piece of this organization for a long time. … The Coliseum isn’t pretty. But I love going there. I love playing there. I love Oakland.” Passan’s profile of Davis kicks off his latest 10 Degrees column an provides an intriguing look inside a player that describes himself as “a little weird” and “a little quirky.” A’s fans will definitely want to check it out, and the full column, which examines the increasing power numbers throughout the league, holds more widespread appeal and is well worth a look.
- The Rangers have no choice but to remove Sam Dyson from the closer’s role after yet another blown save on Sunday, writes Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News. However, while that decision seems like an easy one — Dyson has a ghastly 27.00 ERA with five walks against two strikeouts in 4 1/3 innings — replacing him isn’t as easy as one would think. Matt Bush is the favorite to step into the ninth inning but received an injection to address pain in his right shoulder (the AC joint, specifically) last week. Jeremy Jeffress represents another option, but he’s already pitched in eight of the first 12 games and will need to see that workload lightened as the season wears on. Demoting Dyson for either Bush or Jeffress also opens a hole in the setup roles they’re currently occupying, and Grant notes that promoting Keone Kela to claim that spot just two weeks after his demotion that appears to have been for disciplinary purposes may send a conflicting message. Carrying a Rule 5 long reliever, Mike Hauschild, only further complicates the matter
- In a second column on the matter, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram writes that there’s no chance the Rangers will part ways with Dyson after his rocky start to the season. Wilson also adds that it “doesn’t sound like” Kela will be joining the Rangers as part of a solution to the team’s bullpen woes, as there’s no room for him without running the risk of losing Hauschild, who would have to be placed on waivers and offered back to the Astros even if he clears.
- Mariners manager Scott Servais heaped praise onto offseason trade acquisition Mitch Haniger following yesterday’s huge performance (both in the field and at the plate), as MLB.com’s Greg Johns writes. “We’ve liked everything we’ve seen from Mitch since the first day we got him to Spring Training,” said Servais of Haniger, who hit his fourth home run, robbed a homer from Joey Gallo and drew a bases-loaded walk to score the game-tying run in the ninth in yesterday’s game. “How he’s gone about his business, and obviously he’s been very productive for us. He does his homework, he’s as prepared as anybody we have, and he’s got a lot of confidence.” While Jean Segura grabbed the most attention as the headliner going to Seattle in the trade that sent Taijuan Walker and Ketel Marte to Arizona, Haniger’s early play has solidified him as the everyday right fielder in Seattle. He’s currently hitting .294/.410/.588 through his first 61 plate appearances.
Injury Notes: Happ, Hill, Flowers, Segura, Cishek
A day after placing Aaron Sanchez on the DL, the Blue Jays might have lost another starting pitcher today — J.A. Happ will have an MRI after leaving today’s game with elbow trouble, as Sportsnet’s Arden Zwelling and other reporters have noted. “I felt kind of a pull, a tug in my elbow,” says Happ. “And then I went back out there for the fifth and it just got progressively worse.” A significant injury to Happ would be yet another blow to a Blue Jays team that is already off to 2-10 start that had already led to whispers that the team could be sellers on the trade market this summer. Here are more notes on injuries.
- Dodgers lefty Rich Hill‘s second start of the season ended just as his first one did — with an early departure due to blister trouble, as Bill Shaikin of the Los Angeles Times notes. Shaikin further adds in a tweet that the Dodgers will decide tomorrow whether Hill will require another DL stay. The team could even consider moving him to the bullpen, manager Dave Roberts tells reporters, including MLB.com’s Ken Gurnick (link to Twitter). Presumably, pitching shorter outings could prevent blister flareups. Hill pitched just three innings in the Dodgers’ 3-1 loss to the Diamondbacks. “We’ve talked to a lot of different people that have issues with that outside of our game, and we just can’t pinpoint it,” Roberts said before the game of Hill’s blister issues. “We’re going to continue to try. We don’t have an answer.”
- Braves catcher Tyler Flowers is day-to-day with a strained hamstring he noticed during Sunday’s game, as MLB.com’s Mark Bowman notes. “We’re going to re-evaluate him tomorrow and see where we’re at. Hopefully it’s nothing real serious, because he’s swinging that bat real well,” says Braves manager Brian Snitker. The Braves will wait to decide whether to place Flowers on the DL. In Flowers is out for awhile, Kurt Suzuki will start and Anthony Recker will back him up. Both are already on the Braves’ active roster.
- Mariners infielder Jean Segura and reliever Steve Cishek are close to returning from injury, writes MLB.com’s Greg Johns. Segura has been doing some supervised running to test his ailing hamstring, and hopes to return on Friday, when is when he’s first eligible to come back after going on the DL last Tuesday. Cishek, meanwhile, is beginning a rehab assignment with Double-A Arkansas. Cishek is still making his way back after having microfracture hip surgery last October.
Cafardo’s Latest: Braun, Mariners, Diamondbacks, Red Sox, Fister
Here’s the latest from Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe:
- The Dodgers and Brewers have remained in contact over a potential deal involving Ryan Braun, Cafardo reports. Last summer, the two sides reportedly engaged in serious talks about a deal involving Braun and Yasiel Puig. Trades involving big-name players don’t typically take place early in the season, although it’s worth noting that, at last check, the Dodgers were not one of the teams restricted by Braun’s no-trade clause, and that he will receive ironclad no-trade protection when he becomes a 10-and-5 player May 24.
- The Mariners could start selling talent early if they don’t improve after starting the season 3-8, Cafardo writes. Should the Mariners become sellers, I’d speculate that potential trade candidates could include Danny Valencia, Carlos Ruiz, Jarrod Dyson, Yovani Gallardo and Steve Cishek, all of whom are eligible (or potentially eligible) for free agency after this season. Players like Marc Rzepczynski, Leonys Martin and even Nelson Cruz and Jean Segura could also be subjects of speculation.
- New Diamondbacks GM Mike Hazen isn’t certain about when, or whether, the team will put veterans like Zack Greinke on the market. “We haven’t tackled the long-term outlook yet,” he says. “You see what you have when you get to the June 1 marker. We’ll ask, ‘What are we looking to do to improve the club? What can we do to improve the club? Where are we at overall with our organization?’ That’s what we’re going to talk about. We’re not looking too far down the road at present.” Hazen, of course, inherited a Diamondbacks team that won 69 games last season, although it should be noted that they’re currently 7-4 and in first place in the NL West at this very early point in the year.
- The Red Sox have missed 85 player days due to illness since 2011, most in the Majors. Those 85 days cost the team approximately $3.9MM in salaries. At the start of the season, the team was dealing with a flu outbreak, leading other teams to take precautions when sharing a clubhouse or stadium with the Red Sox — the Twins asked the Tigers to fumigate their visitors’ clubhouse after following the Red Sox as guests at Comerica Park, and the Rays brought air purifiers for their series at Fenway this weekend.
- Doug Fister remains a free agent mostly because teams feel his stuff is “marginal,” and that he therefore isn’t worth the big-league deal he seeks. Colby Lewis, too, is available, and has lately only received lukewarm interest. Those pitchers could find homes if hurlers from other teams get hurt, although, at this point, Fister would almost certainly need to start the season in the minors anyway to build up to being able to make big-league starts.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/14/17
Here are the day’s minor moves from around the league…
- Righty Casey Fien has accepted a Triple-A assignment with the Mariners after clearing outright waivers, as Bob Dutton and TJ Cotterill of the Tacoma News Tribune report (Twitter links). Fien, who said it was an easy call to remain in the organization, was designated after a few rough outings. But the 33-year-old still has plenty of life to his fastball and was registering swings and misses, and he figures to be one of the first players up if a need rises.
- The Angels have selected the contract of righty Deolis Guerra, as Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register tweets. Clearing a 40-man spot wasn’t difficult, as the club was able to shift rehabbing lefty Andrew Heaney to the 60-day DL. Soon to turn 28, Guerra pitched to a 3.21 ERA with 6.1 K/9 and 1.2 BB/9 last year, but nevertheless lost his 40-man spot over the winter. He is out of options, so he’ll have to stick on the active roster or face a DFA.
- The Rays have selected the contract of outfielder Shane Peterson, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link). Peterson will take the place of Mallex Smith, who is headed to the 10-day DL with a hamstring injury. To clear a spot on the 40-man roster, right-hander Brad Boxberger has been transferred from the 10-day DL to the 60-day DL. The 29-year-old Peterson saw MLB time with Oakland in 2013 and with Milwaukee in 2015, hitting a combined .225/.322/.346 over the life of 234 plate appearances. Peterson has plenty of action at all three outfield slots and has a very strong .298/.383/.470 batting line in 418 Triple-A games (1808 plate appearances). His stay with the Rays could be a brief one, though, as Colby Rasmus will soon resume his minor league rehab assignment. As for Boxberger, he’s dealing with a flexor strain, Topkin reported last week, and now won’t be eligible to return to the big league roster until June.