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Rays Designate Aaron Slegers For Assignment

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The Rays announced that they’ve designated right-hander Aaron Slegers for assignment. His spot on the 40-man roster will go to right-hander Cole Sulser, whose previously reported selection to the MLB roster is official.

Sleger, who stands at a towering 6’10”, pitched just three innings for the Rays this season and spent the rest of the year in Triple-A Durham. The former Twins farmhand totaled 112 1/3 innings there, pitching to a 5.05 ERA with 6.4 K/9, 2.2 BB/9, 1.76 HR/9 and a 41.5 percent ground-ball rate. While those results are unsightly, that’s been the case for the majority of Triple-A pitchers in 2019, as the adoption of the Major League ball has led to an explosion of home runs in the International League and Pacific Coast League alike.

Prior to the 2019 season, the 26-year-old Slegers carried a much more respectable 3.54 ERA through 233 innings at the Triple-A level. Slegers’ strikeout, walk and ground-ball rates in seasons past have been roughly in line with this year’s rates, but he’s never endured anywhere near this level of home run issues in the past. Slegers has a minor league option year remaining beyond 2019, so it’s possible that another club in need of some pitching depth will take a look at the big righty.

Rays Select Cole Sulser, Recall Anthony Banda

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The Rays are set to select the contract of right-hander Cole Sulser from Triple-A Durham, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter links). They’ll also call up southpaw Anthony Banda as a September addition to their expanded roster — marking the former top prospect’s first big league action since undergoing Tommy John surgery last year. Tampa Bay will need to make a 40-man roster move to accommodate Sulser’s promotion.

Sulser will be getting his first call to the big leagues after grinding through parts of seven minor league seasons. The 29-year-old, originally drafted in the 25th round by the Indians back in 2013, joined the Rays organization as part of the three-team offseason deal that sent Edwin Encarnacion to Seattle, Jake Bauers to Cleveland and Yandy Diaz to Tampa Bay.

Given his age, Sulser unsurprisingly isn’t considered to be among the Rays’ top prospects, but he’s nevertheless enjoyed a terrific season in Durham. Through 66 innings, he’s tallied a 3.27 ERA with 12.1 K/9, 3.3 BB/9, 0.55 HR/9 and a 31.6 percent ground-ball rate. Sulser is no stranger to working multiple innings, as those 66 frames have come across a total of just 49 appearances. He’s “started” four games in Durham this season, though he’s functioned as an opener on each occasion; none of those four appearances lasted more than two innings in length. Sulser will give the Rays some additional depth in the ’pen and perhaps an option to open a game or two in front of a bulk pitcher such as Ryan Yarbrough, should the Rays feel comfortable with such an alignment.

As for Banda, who recently turned 26, he’s had mixed results since he and his newly repaired ulnar collateral ligament got back on the mound in late June. The lefty began his road back with a series of one- to two-inning stints and has since stretched himself out further. He’s totaled 33 1/3 innings with an ugly 6.09 ERA, but his results have improved over the past month, as well. Banda pitched to a 4.74 ERA with an 18-to-6 K/BB ratio in 19 August innings, and his most recent outing was his longest and arguably most successful: a five-inning effort in which he allowed a pair of runs on four hits and a walk with six punchouts.

Banda’s future with the Rays could very well be in the rotation — or at least in a Yarbrough-esque modified long relief role — but it remains to be seen how the Rays will utilize him down the stretch. They’ll surely keep a watchful eye on his workload, as the former top 100 prospect has the potential to be a significant contributor to their club in 2020 and beyond. At the very least, he’ll be a candidate to make some multi-inning relief appearances in the season’s final month. With a strong enough showing, he could even tempt the Rays into considering him for a postseason roster spot;

Notable September Callups

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We’ll track the flurry of notable callups as roster expand on September 1.

Latest Moves

  • The Mets promoted left-hander Daniel Zamora and right-hander Tyler Bashlor from Triple-A, and also selected the contract of second baseman Sam Haggerty.  (The club posted a fun video on its Twitter account of the players receiving the news.)  A 24th-round pick for Cleveland in the 2015 draft, Haggerty came to the Mets last winter part of the trade that sent Kevin Plawecki to the Indians.  Haggerty began the year at low-A ball and worked his way up to the Show after posting a .907 OPS over 49 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.

Earlier Updates

  • The Diamondbacks announced a slew of callups today. Most notably, the club has selected the contract of outfielder Abraham Almonte and recalled right-hander Jon Duplantier. Almonte, 30, has logged time as a reserve each of the past six seasons, to the tune of a career .237/.294/.367 slash (79 wRC+). Duplantier, one of the club’s top pitching prospects, has battled injury issues in recent years but offers a high-upside bullpen piece for the stretch run.
  • The Rays’ September additions include a number of notable players, with Nate Lowe headlining a group of five call-ups. He’ll be joined by Peter Fairbanks and Daniel Robertson, among others.
  • The Braves announced they’ve recalled utilityman Johan Camargo. Camargo was optioned after the club signed Adeiny Hechavarría to replace the injured Dansby Swanson at shortstop. Swanson’s back now, and Hechavarría is still on hand, so it’ll be a tough climb for Camargo, who’s mired in a dreadful season. He’s only a year removed from a productive age-24 campaign, though.
  • The Padres will select the contract of right-handed reliever David Bednar, reports Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). The 24 year-old gets a little lost among the Padres’ loaded system, but he boasts a pair of plus offerings in his fastball and curveball, opine Kiley McDaniel and Eric Lognenhagen of Fangraphs. Despite a less-than-stellar reputation for his command, Bednar has dazzled in the Texas League this season, pitching to a 2.95 ERA with elite strikeout (35.8%) and walk (7.5%) numbers.
  • The Indians announced today they have selected the contracts of Ryan Flaherty and James Hoyt. They’ve also recalled Eric Haase. Flaherty’s solid Triple-A work this year has earned him his seventh consecutive big league season, where he’ll serve as infield depth for the club down José Ramírez. Hoyt logged 72.2 innings with the Astros from 2016-2018 and offers right-handed bullpen depth, while Haase, 26, is a power-hitting catcher with contact issues.
  • The Yankees announced they have selected left-hander Tyler Lyons. The veteran reliever just signed a minor-league contract with the organization a few weeks ago and adds depth to a loaded bullpen. Right-hander David Hale was transferred to the 60-day injured list to clear 40-man space. The Bombers also recalled right-handers Ryan Dull and Chance Adams and outfielder Clint Frazier.
  • The Cardinals have selected catcher Joe Hudson, per a team announcement. The 28 year-old got into eight games last year with the Angels. He’s had a tough season offensively with Triple-A Memphis, slashing .223/.293/.411. Outfielder Lane Thomas was transferred to the 60-day injured list with a season-ending wrist injury. Anne Rogers of MLB.com tweets that veteran backstop Matt Wieters is day-to-day with a calf strain, so the club elected to bring Hudson and Andrew Knizner aboard to bolster their catching depth.
  • The Brewers announced they have selected the contract of first baseman Tyler Austin. A former Yankee, Twin and Giant, Austin has a strong minor-league track record and brings some right-handed power, but has mustered only a .220/.288/.451 line in 556 career MLB plate appearances thanks to untenable strikeout rates.
  • Top Astros prospect Kyle Tucker isn’t up yet, but he will be shortly, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. Houston’s additional reinforcements will be announced tomorrow, Rome adds. The 22 year-old corner outfielder has again laid waste to the Triple-A Pacific Coast League and has nothing left to prove at the minor-league level, but opportunities have been few and far between in the Astros’ loaded lineup.
  • Just-acquired first baseman Ryan McBroom will be selected to the Royals’ active roster shortly, tweets Jeffrey Flanagan of MLB.com. As Flanagan notes, the 27 year-old was likely to be added to the 40-man this offseason to protect him from the Rule V draft regardless, so there’s little harm in giving him his first taste of MLB action in the meantime. The former 15th-rounder has put up strong offensive numbers throughout his minor-league career, culminating in a .315/.402/.574 line in the Triple-A International League this season.

Rays, Blue Jays Complete Eric Sogard Trade

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The Rays and Blue Jays have completed the July 28 trade that sent infielder Eric Sogard to Tampa Bay. Juan Toribio of MLB.com reports that the two players to be named later are minor-league pitchers Curtis Taylor and Edisson Gonzalez, who will both join the Toronto organization and finalize the deal.

Taylor, 24, is a former fourth-round pick by the Diamondbacks in the 2016 draft. He was sent to the Rays in the trade that brought Brad Boxberger to Arizona. In 15 games with the Rays’ Double-A affiliate, he has posted a 3.06 ERA over 17 2/3 innings of work. Across two seasons at Double-A, he has struck out 90 batters in 78 1/3 innings, good for a 2.53 ERA. However, Taylor has not pitched since May after he was shut down with elbow pain. As Scott Mitchell of TSN notes, there’s a possibility that Taylor could undergo Tommy John surgery if he suffers a setback, though there is no indication that’s the case. Otherwise, the right-hander should be available to pitch for the Blue Jays in the spring.

Notably, Taylor is eligible to be selected in the Rule 5 draft this winter, meaning that he will need to be added to Toronto’s 40-man roster if he is to remain in the organization. It’s likely part of the motivation for the Rays, who have considerable depth and little room to add to the roster, parting ways with Taylor.

Gonzalez, meanwhile, was signed as an international amateur from Panama in 2016. Now 19 years old, Gonzalez has spent his first three professional seasons between rookie ball and Low-A ball toggling between starting and relieving. In 158 2/3 innings as a professional, he’s struck out 187 batters to go with a posted a 2.72 ERA.

Glasnow To Appear With Durham Monday

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Rays righty Tyler Glasnow seemed to be embarking on an uber-breakout campaign this year before being sidelined with forearm issues. The 1.86 ERA, 10.24 K/9 and 2.31 FIP marks he submitted in his first eight 2019 starts became the talk of baseball for a time and positioned Glasnow as the possible usurper of the Cy Young throne held by teammate Blake Snell.

To truly help a 79-58 team trying to break through the postseason barricades, Glasnow will need to be in top form when he returns to the team–a return that is expected to be in a short relief capacity. Still, this latest stop in his rehab suggests that Tampa could soon be making one of the most impactful additions of the AL playoff race this month. With tonight’s win over Cleveland, the Rays entered into a tie with Oakland for the second Wild Card play-in spot.

Rays Select Contract Of Ricardo Pinto

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The Rays have selected the contract of righty Ricardo Pinto, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to tweet. Righty Jose De Leon was optioned. To create 40-man space, infielder Yandy Diaz was placed on the 60-day injured list.

Pinto, 25, will get his second crack at the big leagues after previously appearing with the Phillies back in 2017. His 25-appearance debut didn’t go well, as he was tagged for 26 earned runs in 29 2/3 innings.

Since joining the Rays organization over the offseason, Pinto has worked as a bulk guy. He has spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he carries a 4.13 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 over 104 2/3 innings. It remains to be seen how extensively the Rays will utilize Pinto. He could hold a job for the month of September or be designated in a few days if the club has other ideas for his roster spot.

Latest On Kevin Kiermaier

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  • The Rays would “really would like to avoid” an injured list placement for Kevin Kiermaier, manager Kevin Cash told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times and other reporters, though Kiermaier is still “in a significant amount of pain” following a collision with the outfield wall on Sunday.  Kiermaier hasn’t taken the field since suffering the left rib cage contusion, though Cash was hopeful that the center fielder would be able to return on Friday.  Kiermaier already spent ten days on the IL earlier this season due to a sprained left thumb, though 2019 has thus far been a relatively healthy season for the injury-plagued outfielder.  His 109 games played is already the second-highest total of his seven-year career.

Rays Sign Jhon Diaz

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The Rays have signed 16-year-old Dominican outfield prospect Jhon Diaz, Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com reports (via Twitter). Diaz had been widely projected to go to the Yankees, and Sanchez even tweeted on July 2 that Diaz and New York had agreed to a $1.2MM signing bonus. It seems, however, that said deal was never officially finalized. (In the case of today’s report, Sanchez tweeted a photo of Diaz signing with his contract with the Rays.)

The Yankees pledged the vast majority of their $5.398MM bonus pool to fellow Dominican outfield prospect Jasson Dominguez — to the point that they’d have needed to trade for roughly $1MM in additional funds to accommodate both Dominguez and Diaz (at their reported bonus levels). Such a trade never came together prior to the deadline, so perhaps Diaz’s camp simply found another suitor with ample remaining funds in its bonus pool.

When international free agency kicked off on July 2, Diaz ranked as the No. 7 prospect on the market over at Fangraphs and checked in at No. 18 on Sanchez’s list at MLB.com. The specific numerical rankings aren’t of the foremost importance; prospect rankings in general are an inexact science, and that’s even more true when writing about the second tier of more seldom-seen international teenagers. Rather, the key takeaway is that Tampa Bay has added yet another intriguing piece to an already deep farm system that is graded among the game’s elite.

Diaz is a center fielder who draws praise for his above-average speed and defensive instincts in addition to a compact swing and plenty of present-day skill (rather than the pure physical projection that accompanies many 16-year-old signees). He’ll join an international class for Tampa Bay that had previously been headlined by Dominican shortstop Wilmer de la Cruz. Baseball America’s Ben Badler has a list of other prospects the Rays have inked during the current signing period, which runs through June 15, 2020.

Brendan McKay Placed On Triple-A Injured List

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  • Prized young Rays hurler Brendan McKay, optioned down after a rough recent start, has hit the injured list at Triple-A, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to tweet. He’s said to be dealing with shoulder fatigue, which sounds worrisome but doesn’t appear to be cause for any concern. The expectation is that he won’t miss more than a week of action, which means he ought to be ready to help the Rays again soon — if and when he’s needed.

Latest On Glasnow, Snell, Chirinos

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  • The wild card-contending Rays haven’t set specific timetables for the returns of injured starters Tyler Glasnow, Blake Snell and Yonny Chirinos, but the three figure to come back in that order, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times writes. Glasnow, who has been out since early May with a forearm injury and will finish 2019 as a reliever, could rejoin the team in the second week of September, per Topkin. Meanwhile, Snell is “probably 10 days behind [Glasnow] at least,” according to manager Kevin Cash. Snell, the reigning AL Cy Young winner, underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left elbow a month ago. Chirinos has been down for three weeks with an inflamed right middle finger – an injury that has thrown a wrench into a solid season for the 25-year-old.
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