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Rays Designate Dana Eveland

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The Rays have designated lefty Dana Eveland for assignment, as Chris Cotillo of SB Nation first tweeted. The club has selected the contract of outfielder Jaff Decker to take his spot on the active roster, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reported earlier on Twitter.

Eveland, 32, had struggled to a 7.56 ERA in his 16 2/3 innings on the year. He has averaged better than a strikeout per innings, but his swinging strike rate is down and he has also issued 13 free passes in that span.

[RELATED: As the Roster Resource depth chart shows, Tampa Bay still has two other southpaws in the pen.]

Decker will get another shot at the majors after brief stints in each of the past three years. He may be needed to help cover for Steven Souza, who suffered a hip injury last night. Decker owns a .233/.351/.358 batting line over 232 Triple-A plate appearances on the year.

AL East Notes: Ubaldo, Venters, Beltran, Red Sox

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Ubaldo Jimenez’s dreadful results with the Orioles this season (specifically over his past seven starts) may soon force the Orioles’ hand, writes MASNsports.com’s Roch Kubatko. Manager Buck Showalter declined to give an inkling of the team’s intentions with Jimenez, stating: “We have to look at other possibilities, but if we do something, he’s going to hear about it from us long before he reads about it.” As Kubatko points out, that type of sentiment from Showalter in the past has typically preceded a change, and the real question surrounding Jimenez is how drastic of a move the team will make. Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun wrote last night that a release isn’t likely given the remaining money on Jimenez’s four-year deal, but Kubatko hears differently, writing that the O’s are willing to cut bait in spite of the financial considerations. Jimenez is owed about $7.89MM through the end of the season and is earning $13.5MM in 2017 as well. He has a 6.89 ERA through 62 2/3 innings this season and has seen his once blistering fastball dip to an average of just 89.8 mph.

More from the American League…

  • Former Braves setup ace Jonny Venters somewhat quietly returned to the mound after his third Tommy John surgery when he tossed a scoreless inning for the Rays’ Class-A Advanced affiliate earlier this month, as MLB.com’s Sam Blum writes. The Rays signed Venters to a two-year minor league contract last season, and the plan for him is to make about five appearances with Class-A Charlotte before being moved up to Triple-A Durham. If Venters, whose fastball touched 93 mph in his first appearance with the Stone Crabs, can show Major League caliber pitches and prove capable of throwing on back-to-back days, he could get a look with the big league club. Venters tells Blum that he doesn’t feel bad for himself whatsoever even after all of his arm woes, rather that he feels fortunate to have accomplished what he has in his career and to still have a chance. Blum also spoke to Venters’ former teammate Craig Kimbrel about the 31-year-old’s long journey back to the mound. “It shows a lot about who he is,” said Kimbrel. “He has some of the nastiest pitches, pure stuff in the game. … He’s giving everything he’s got. It’s special to be able to play this game, and he feels like he can still do it.” Venters, who has a career 2.23 ERA in 229 2/3 MLB innings, is looking to become the second pitcher to ever return from a third TJ operation, joining Jason Isringhausen.
  • While Carlos Beltran is having a strong season and would love to remain with the Yankees beyond 2016, the team has yet to reach out to the free-agent-to-be about a new contract, reports Barry M. Bloom of MLB.com. Beltran has said he’d like to play for another two seasons beyond this one, Bloom adds. The 39-year-old slugger is hitting .277/.313/.554 with 16 homers on the season, placing him just three long balls shy of last season’s total of 19. As Bloom points out, Beltran’s excellent season is only further adding to a very legitimate Hall of Fame case; he ranks fourth among active players in WAR and reached a pair of notable milestones this season, belting his 400th homer and recording his 2500th hit (his 1500th RBI isn’t far off, either). Bloom spoke to both skippers who were present at Yankee Stadium this weekend — Joe Girardi and Brad Ausmus (a former teammate of Beltran) — and both said they think he’s already earned a spot in Cooperstown regardless of how the remainder of his career plays out.
  • While the Red Sox are reportedly seeking both starters and relievers on the trade market, skipper John Farrell wouldn’t identify specific trade needs for his club when asked by WEEI.com’s Rob Bradford. Instead, Farrell chose to focus his comments on a need to get his team’s best players healthy. Farrell specifically mentioned Brock Holt, who has yet to pass IMPACT testing to clear him to return from the concussion he is currently battling. Farrell also took the opportunity to praise the replacement for Holt (and Blake Swihart), Chris Young, for his contributions in the clubhouse and on the diamond. Meanwhile, Evan Drellich of the Boston Herald tweeted yesterday that Farrell later added the hope for Holt is that he’ll be able to embark on a minor league rehab assignment this week.

Rays To Promote Blake Snell, Move Matt Andriese To Bullpen

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The Rays will call up top pitching prospect Blake Snell for a start on Thursday, manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Roger Mooney of the Tampa Bay Times).  Righty Matt Andriese, who has a 2.82 ERA over seven starts for the Rays this season, will be shifted into a fireman role in the bullpen.

This is the second time Snell has been promoted, as the 23-year-old southpaw was called upon for a spot start against the Yankees on April 23.  Snell looked good in his MLB debut, holding New York to one run on two hits and a walk over five innings, recording six strikeouts along the way.  He was returned to Triple-A Durham afterwards, where he has enjoyed an impressive season: 3.29 ERA, 12.9 K/9 and a 3.21 K/BB rate over 63 innings.

Cash gave no indication as to how long Snell’s latest stint the Tampa rotation could last, though as Mooney notes, Snell won’t amass enough service time to attain Super Two status should he remain on the Major League roster for the rest of the season.  That being the case, there’s little reason the Rays wouldn’t keep the lefty around if he pitches well.

It may be unfair to solely attribute financial reasons to Snell’s minor league stay, of course, as he has exhibited some control issues over his pro career — 28 walks over his 63 Triple-A innings this season and a 4.4 BB/9 over his 485 frames in the minors.  An extra bit of Triple-A seasoning also may have been warranted simply due to the fact that Snell (while picked 52nd overall in the 2011 draft) was somewhat of a middling prospect before his breakout 2015 campaign.  That massive season saw Snell jump three levels in the Rays’ farm system and land himself a prominent spot on the preseason prospect rankings lists (ranked 12th by Baseball America and MLB.com, 14th by ESPN’s Keith Law, 21st by Baseball Prospectus).

Snell’s continued success this year, however, earned him that April start and now what could be a prolonged look in Tampa’s rotation.  The Rays entered the season expecting to be led by their starters, though only Jake Odorizzi and Andriese have performed consistently well.  Chris Archer (4.61 ERA), Drew Smyly (4.94) and Matt Moore (5.56) have all had their share of struggles, though advanced metrics indicate that all three are significantly outperforming their inflated ERAs.

Andriese’s 2.82 ERA, by contrast, has perhaps a bit fortunate, as ERA predictors (3.22 FIP, 4.25 xFIP, 4.42 SIERA) paint a less flattering view of his performance.  Andriese doesn’t miss many bats (6.04 K/9) and relies on grounders and soft contract to rack up outs.  It’s not a dissimilar arsenal to that of Erasmo Ramirez, who has also pitched quite well for Tampa in a fireman role this season.  Having a pair of versatile, multi-inning relievers could provide a boost to a Rays bullpen that has been plagued with injuries, most notably closer Brad Boxberger spending almost the entire season on the DL.

Rays Unlikely To Land Jonathan Lucroy

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Although the catcher-needy Rays covet Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy, their aversion to trading prospects makes them unlikely to acquire the 29-year-old if Milwaukee shops him, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports (video link). The Cubs, like the Rays, are also a poor bet to land Lucroy. Chicago inquired about Lucroy’s availability during the offseason and even explored the idea of involving a third club to help make a trade happen with the division-rival Brewers, says Rosenthal, who adds that talks didn’t get serious then and probably won’t around the deadline. As Rosenthal notes, the Cubs have $14MM catcher Miguel Montero at the major league level, and highly regarded prospect Willson Contereras is laying waste to Triple-A pitching.

Even if the Rays and Cubs aren’t in the running to pick up Lucroy, there should still be plenty of suitors for him, as MLBTR’s Mark Polishuk detailed Friday.

Logan Forsythe Begins Rehab Assignment

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  • Rays infielder Logan Forsythe is headed out on a Triple-A rehab assignment, as Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports. That keeps him in line to return early next week, which could provide a significant boost to a club that remains five games under .500 and stuck in last place in the AL East. Forsythe is one of several important players who are currently sidelined for Tampa Bay. Pitchers Alex Cobb and Brad Boxberger as well as outfielders Kevin Kiermaier and Brandon Guyer are all on more extended timelines to return, with only Guyer expected back within the next few weeks.

Rays Outright Jake Goebbert

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  • Outfielder Jake Goebbert has been outrighted to Triple-A Durham by the Rays after being designated for assignment. The 28-year-old entered the season as an accomplished Triple-A hitter, but he’s struggled mightily with Durham this season, hitting just .183/.288/.275. Even with his career numbers at Triple-A weighed down by his 2016 performance, Goebbert is a lifetime .271/.375/.444 hitter at that level. The Pirates saw enough in him to give him a big league deal this winter, but he didn’t make it through Spring Training and was ultimately claimed off waivers by Tampa Bay after being designated for assignment. He’ll look to get back to his productive ways now that he’s been removed from the 40-man roster and hope to factor into Tampa Bay’s big league plans later in the year.

Rays Notes: Guyer, Franklin, Jennings, Snell

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  • The Rays placed outfielder Brandon Guyer on the 15-day disabled list with a left hamstring strain Sunday and recalled infielder Nick Franklin from Triple-A Durham, Bill Chastain of MLB.com was among those to report (Twitter link). Guyer is now the second notable Rays outfielder to hit the DL in recent weeks, joining center fielder Kevin Kiermaier. The 30-year-old had gotten off to an excellent start pre-injury, evidenced by his .271/.365/.472 batting line in 168 PAs, and helped his cause by reaching base 15 times via the hit by pitch. That’s nothing new for Guyer, whom opposing pitchers have struck a combined 50 times since he started seeing extensive big league action in 2014. Franklin, a former well-regarded prospect with the Mariners, has spent this year in the minors after hitting an unsightly .158/.213/.307 in 109 PAs with the Rays last season.
  • Speaking of the Rays, they entered play Sunday with the second-worst record in the AL, and Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times offered some potential ways the team could save its season before it slips away. Among Topkin’s suggestions: Cut $3.3MM outfielder Desmond Jennings loose or demote him to Durham (either option could be difficult now with the Rays’ depth already having taken multiple hits), promote top pitching prospect Blake Snell and find an outside catcher solution – even if it means surrendering a significant haul for Brewers backstop Jonathan Lucroy.

Rays Could Deal Steve Pearce By Trade Deadline

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  • The last-place Rays aren’t ready to sell yet, but they could be “very active” in shopping players prior to the deadline if they don’t begin climbing up the standings, FOX Sports’ Ken Rosenthal reports. The Rays are deep in both pitching and outfielders, two areas that will be in demand, and infielder Steve Pearce could also draw plenty of interest. After a disappointing showing last season, Pearce has returned to his 2014 form in slashing .302/.389/.527 with eight home runs and nearly as many walks (18) as strikeouts (22) in 149 plate appearances. The 33-year-old, who’s on a palatable $4.75MM salary, is scheduled to become a free agent at season’s end.

    [SOURCE LINK]

Rays To Activate Jonny Venters At High-A Affiliate

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  • Three-time Tommy John surgery recipient Jonny Venters is set to be activated by the Rays’ High-A affiliate on Saturday, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. The 31-year-old was once one an electric reliever for the Braves, but he last pitched professionally way back in 2012.

Brad Boxberger Out 4-8 Weeks With Oblique Strain

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The Rays’ bullpen received a brutal blow today, as closer Brad Boxberger landed back on the disabled list with a left oblique strain, which Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets will sideline the right-hander for anywhere from four to eight weeks. The club will re-evaluate Boxberger in one week’s time and get a better sense as to whether he’ll return toward the shorter or longer end of that spectrum.

Boxberger, 28, led the American League with 41 saves last season and posted a 3.71 ERA with 10.6 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 in 63 innings of work. Prior to yesterday’s appearance, Boxberger had missed the entire season to date while recovering from core muscle surgery that he underwent in Spring Training. He’ll now head back to the DL with just two-thirds of an inning under his belt in the Majors this season (plus 5 1/3 frames that came on a minor league rehab assignment). Boxberger’s return was expected to be a boon to a Rays bullpen that entered play Wednesday ranked 20th in the Majors with a 4.08 ERA. Fellow right-hander Alex Colome has stepped up quite admirably to fill in the closer’s role with Boxberger on the shelf, racking up 12 saves with a pristine 1.23 ERA, 11.9 K/9 and 1.6 BB/9 in 22 innings of work.

The Rays, of course, thinned out their bullpen in an offseason trade that sent lefty Jake McGee to the Rockies in a trade that netted outfielder/designated hitter Corey Dickerson, and they also traded Kevin Jepsen to the Twins at last season’s deadline. As such, Tampa Bay has spent the entire season without the trio that anchored their relief corps for the entire first half of the 2015 campaign. The Rays, as it stands, aren’t clear-cut sellers, but they’re nine games out of the division lead. If the team does end up selling off pieces later this summer, Boxberger’s injuries could remove one natural trade chip from their hand. Conversely, if they fight their way back into the playoff picture, the bullpen seems like a potential area of focus for president of baseball operations Matthew Silverman and his lieutenants.

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