AL East Notes: Cleavinger, Guerrero, Severino
Rays reliever Garrett Cleavinger suffered a knee injury during the 10th inning of today’s 7-6 victory over the Yankees. Manager Kevin Cash told reporters (including Kristie Ackert of the Tampa Bay Times) that Cleavinger’s knee “grabbed on him” during a critical rundown play that eventually saw Aaron Hicks thrown out at home plate while trying to score the go-ahead run. More will be known once Cleavinger undergoes testing, but Cash indicated that the left-hander will likely be placed on the 15-day injured list.
Like most hurlers on the league-leading Rays, Cleavinger is having a nice season, with a 3.00 ERA over 15 appearances and 12 innings pitched. A 13% walk rate and a .160 BABIP are red flags, but Cleavinger is missing a lot of bats (30.4% strikeout rate) and is doing an excellent job of inducing soft contact. Tampa has Colin Poche, Jalen Beeks, and Josh Fleming already in the bullpen as other left-handed options, though Fleming has recently been enlisted into bulk pitcher duty. If the Rays aren’t concerned about keeping the lefty/righty balance in their pen, they can turn to any number of arms in the farm system, and hopefully Cleavinger won’t be sidelined for too long.
More from around the AL East…
- Vladimir Guerrero Jr. has missed the Blue Jays‘ last two games due to soreness in his left wrist, though MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson tweets that Guerrero was feeling slightly better today. Naturally the Jays are being as cautious as possible with the star slugger, while also hoping that Guerrero can avoid an IL stint altogether. Toronto has off-days on both Monday and Thursday this week, and manager John Schneider said Guerrero will be re-evaluated prior to the Jays’ game Tuesday with the Phillies.
- Luis Severino is slated for a Triple-A rehab start on Wednesday or Thursday this week, as the Yankees right-hander gets closer to making his 2023 debut. Severino suffered a right lat strain near the end of Spring Training that resulted in a season-opening stint on the 15-day IL, though he told reporters (including Greg Joyce of the New York Post) that he felt the Yankees were being too conservative in his rehab plan. For instance, Severino thought he could’ve started his rehab assignment last week rather than throwing a 40-pitch simulated game, as he felt working in a proper game environment with a pitch clock was more helpful in getting him ready for a big league return. New York manager Aaron Boone said that Severino will need to make at least two rehab starts before being reinstated from the IL, so given the team’s cautious approach, Severino might not be back until the Yankees’ May 23-25 series with the Orioles.
Rays Outright Zack Burdi
Rays right-hander Zack Burdi has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Durham, per a team announcement. Burdi had been designated for assignment earlier this week in order to open up a 40-man roster spot for right-hander Chase Anderson.
A first round pick by the White Sox in the 2016 draft, the 28-year-old Burdi has long had a premium fastball in terms of both velocity and spin rate, but has struggled to translate it into success at the big league level due to control issues. While his 9.3% walk rate in 20 1/3 career innings in the majors has been passable, Burdi’s posted a walk rate of nearly 15% in 150 innings at the minor league level. Further, even though his walks have been under control in his small sample at the major league level, his results have still been less than spectacular, with a career 6.64 ERA in the majors.
Still, an optionable right-hander with stuff as tantalizing as Burdi is sure to pique the interest of teams, making it something of a surprise that Burdi passed through waivers successfully. Burdi has less than three years of MLB service time and has not been outrighted before in his career, meaning he does not have the right to reject his outright assignment. That leaves him poised to be upper-level relief depth for the Rays in the minor leagues going forward this season alongside the likes of Trevor Kelley and Calvin Faucher.
Robinson Chirinos Announces Retirement
Veteran catcher Robinson Chirinos announced on Twitter today that he is retiring from professional baseball. “With a happy, yet heavy heart, I am announcing my retirement from professional baseball,” the statement reads. “After much contemplation and reflection, I have decided to close this chapter of my life. It has not been an easy decision, but I feel that it is the right one for me as I have given my heart and soul to this sport over so many years.” He then goes on to thank his family members, teammates, coaches, fans, team staff and many others who he crossed paths with over the years.
Chirinos, now 38 years old, originally signed with the Cubs as an amateur out of Venezuela back in 2000, shortly after his 16th birthday. An infielder at that time, he would toil away in the Cubs’ minor league system for a decade, starting his move to the catcher position in 2008. He was added to the club’s 40-man roster after 2010 but was traded to the Rays a few months later, going alongside Chris Archer and others as the Cubs acquired Matt Garza.
It was in that 2011 season that Chirinos was able to make his major league debut, getting into 20 games, but he had to miss the entire 2012 campaign due to a concussion. He was traded to the Rangers in April of 2013 for a player to be named later and would eventually spend six years with that club. His role was initially limited but gradually grew over time as he provided some pop behind the plate. From 2013 to 2018, he hit 67 home runs in 442 games, slashing .233/.325/.443 during that time for a wRC+ of 104. That coincided with a good stretch for the club as well, as Chirinos was able to get into four postseason games with the Rangers between 2015 and 2016.
He reached free agency for the first time after 2018 and he eventually signed with the Astros for one year and $5.75MM. He had a nice season in Houston, launching 17 home runs and hitting .238/.347/.443 for a wRC+ of 112. He would get into 14 more postseason games that year as the Astros went to the World Series, ultimately falling to the Nationals in seven games.
He would go into journeyman mode for the next few years. He returned to the Rangers for 2020 on a one-year, $6.75MM deal but ultimately hit just .162/.232/.243 in the shortened season, which included a trade to the Mets. He signed a minor league deal with the Yankees for 2021 but fractured his wrist after being hit by a pitch in Spring Training. He was released and eventually got into 45 games for the Cubs after returning to health, then got into another 67 contests with the Orioles last year.
All told, it was an unusual career for Chirinos, who seemed to do everything a little later than normal. He didn’t start playing his primary position until his mid-20s, then didn’t make it to the majors until his age-27 season and didn’t really become a regular until he was 30. Both FanGraphs and Baseball Reference consider his best season by wins above replacement to be 2019, his age-35 campaign.
Despite that delayed trajectory, he still managed to get into 714 major league games and make 2,457 plate appearances. He tallied 480 hits, including 95 home runs, scoring 275 times and driving in 306. MLBTR congratulates Chirinos on a fine career and wishes him the best in the next stages of his life.
Rays Place Pete Fairbanks On Injured List, Select Chase Anderson
The Rays have placed right-hander Pete Fairbanks on the 15-day injured list due to inflammation in his right forearm and selected the contract of veteran righty Chase Anderson, whom they acquired from the Reds in exchange for cash earlier this morning. Right-hander Zack Burdi was designated for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Anderson.
Fairbanks has been unavailable for the past couple of days due to symptoms of Raynaud’s disease, which can trigger circulatory issues and slow bloodflow. That’s presented itself in the form of numbness in Fairbanks’ fingers. However, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets that the forearm injury is not related to those symptoms but rather has been something that’s bothered Fairbanks on and off this season. Fairbanks tells Topkin he expects to return after a minimal stay on the injured list.
While Fairbanks hasn’t allowed an earned run in 7 2/3 innings this season, he hasn’t been nearly as dominant as he was in 2022, when he averaged 99.2 mph on his heater and fanned 43.7% of his opponents against a brilliant 3.4% walk rate. We’re looking at a much smaller sample in 2023, of course, but Fairbanks’ velocity is “down” to an average of 98 mph, and he’s sporting just a 19.4% strikeout rate against an ugly 12.9% walk rate. The Rays will hope that some downtime can get him closer to his ’22 form sooner than later.
Anderson, 35, was with the Rays’ Triple-A club last year but didn’t pitch for the big league squad. He opened the year with a 4.30 ERA in 23 innings for Cincinnati’s Triple-A club in Louisville, though his 19-to-13 K/BB ratio is obviously troublesome. Anderson had an opt-out clause in his minor league deal with the Reds that he’d either already exercised — giving the Reds 48 hours to add him to the active roster or release him — or planned to exercise. The Reds clearly didn’t want to displace anyone from their roster to bring Anderson back to the big leagues, but the Rays saw him differently.
It’s possible it’ll be a brief stint with Tampa Bay for Anderson, just was it was for Burdi and for veteran reliever Heath Hembree before him. The Rays have been regularly cycling names through the final spot of their bullpen in an effort to have as many fresh arms as possible available to complement their core relievers. With nearly eight years of MLB service time under his belt, Anderson brings plenty of experience to the table. He’s struggled mightily since 2020 but from 2014-19 was a solid fourth starter with Arizona and Milwaukee, pitching to a 3.94 ERA in 857 innings.
Burdi, 28, is a former first-round pick whose career has been derailed by injuries, most notably Tommy John surgery in 2018 and a torn patellar tendon in 2019. The former Louisville standout has been tagged for 15 earned runs in just 20 1/3 Major League frames.
That includes a sharp couple outings with the Rays during this most recent stint. He fired three shutout innings, allowing just one hit and one walk with four punchouts. That wasn’t enough to keep him on the roster for a larger look, however.
In Triple-A, Burdi carries a 4.81 ERA in 86 career innings. He’s fanned 32.5% of his opponents at the top minor league level, thanks in part to a blistering fastball, but he’s also issued walks at an untenable 13.5% clip. The Rays will have a week to trade him or attempt to pass him through outright waivers.
Rays Acquire Chase Anderson
10:20am: The Rays announced that they’ve acquired Anderson from the Reds in exchange for cash.
7:52am: The Rays have reportedly acquired right-hander Chase Anderson from the Reds, according to the New York Post’s Jon Heyman. The return headed the Reds’ way is not currently known, though it’s unlikely to be substantial.
Anderson, 35, is a veteran of nine MLB seasons who has yet to make his 2023 debut in the majors. For the first six seasons of his career, Anderson was more or less a solid back-end start in the majors with a 3.94 ERA (106 ERA+) and 4.54 FIP along with a 20.2% strikeout rate and 7.8% walk rate in 857 innings of work. A propensity for giving up homers has limited Anderson’s production throughout his career, with 12.8% of his fly balls leaving the yard over the first six seasons of his career. That rate was above 10% in each of those years except for 2017, which was unsurprisingly a career year for Anderson where he pitched to a phenomenal 2.74 ERA that was 60% better than league average by measure of ERA+.
In the years following that stretch, however, Anderson has struggled badly. In 105 2/3 innings of work, Anderson has posted a 6.81 ERA (64 ERA+) and 5.78 FIP over 105 2/3 innings for the Blue Jays, Phillies, and Reds. During these three seasons, Anderson’s strikeout rate has stayed roughly the same (20.3%). While his walk rate has ticked up slightly (9.5%), the main culprit of Anderson’s struggles has been the long ball once again, as Anderson has watched an astounding 19.2% of his fly balls result in home runs.
Anderson re-signed in Cincinnati on a minor league deal back in February and competed for a spot on the big league roster during Spring Training, but was ultimately re-assigned to minor league camp. Anderson has posted a decent 4.30 ERA in his 23 innings of work at Triple-A this year. As an Article XX(B) free agent, Anderson had the right to opt-out of his deal with the Reds on Monday.
Despite their phenomenal 24-6 record, the Rays have struggled to field a full rotation in the early going this season after weathering injuries to Jeffrey Springs and Tyler Glasnow. Anderson, should he pitch in the majors for the Rays, seems likely to fill a bulk role alongside the likes of Yonny Chirinos and Josh Fleming as the Rays mix and match options behind Shane McClanahan, Drew Rasmussen, and Zach Eflin. The Rays, of course, have a long track record of helping struggling arms on the fringe of the majors establish themselves and maximize their performance. They’ll surely try to do the same with Anderson, given not only his previously demonstrated ability to be a serviceable back-end rotation member, but the flash of potential beyond that he showed in 2017.
Tigers Claim Braden Bristo, Transfer Austin Meadows To 60-Day IL
5:05pm: The Tigers have announced the claim of Bristo, who has been optioned to Triple-A Toledo. The corresponding move is transferring outfielder Austin Meadows to the 60-day injured list. Meadows was placed on the 10-day IL due to anxiety on April 7 and will now be ineligible to return until 60 days from that point, which would be early June.
1:35pm: The Tigers have claimed right-hander Braden Bristo off waivers from the Rays, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. Bristo was designated for assignment on the weekend when the Rays acquired right-hander Javy Guerra from the Brewers. The Tigers have a full 40-man roster and will need to make a corresponding move in order to open a spot for Bristo.
Bristo, 28, was drafted by the Yankees in 2016 and was on their farm through the end of 2022, working exclusively in relief apart from a couple of two-inning starts as an opener. He made it all the way up to Triple-A, posting big strikeout totals but also dealing out more than his fair share of walks. He tossed 103 1/3 Triple-A innings between 2021 and 2022, posting a 4.70 ERA with a 27.1% strikeout rate but also a 13.2% walk rate.
He reached free agency in the winter and signed a minor league deal with the Rays, who selected his contract just over two weeks ago. He made one appearance against the Red Sox, tossing three innings without allowing a run, but was optioned back to Triple-A Durham the next day. He has an ERA of 10.00 in a small sample of six appearances for the Bulls this year.
Bristo will now head over to the Tigers, who will see if they can help him better harness his strikeout stuff so that he limits the free passes. The righty still has a full slate of options and essentially no service time, meaning he can be a depth option for the foreseeable future as long as he continues to hang onto his spot on the 40-man.
AL East Notes: Rays, Orioles, Red Sox
Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times recently dug into the factors behind the Rays‘ decision to demote top pitching prospect Taj Bradley to Triple-A last week. Topkin notes that Bradley’s call to the majors came primarily due to the young right-hander being on full rest when starters were needed to sub in for Zach Eflin and Jeffrey Springs. With Eflin back in action and bulk arms Yonny Chirinos and Josh Fleming joining him, lefty Shane McClanahan and right-hander Drew Rasmussen as rotation options, Bradley was no longer needed to fill out the rotation in Tampa.
Despite Bradley’s strong trio of starts in the big leagues, where he posted a 3.52 ERA and 2.65 FIP over 15 1/3 innings of work, that left the Rays free to send Bradley back to the minors. Topkin highlights Bradley’s need to adjust to pitching every fifth day and maintain his velocity throughout the season as major factors in the decision, though he also notes that the Rays are hoping to avoid a situation similar to the one the Nationals had with Stephen Strasburg in 2012. That season, the club made the difficult decision to shut down their young ace ahead of the playoffs despite a 3.16 ERA in 28 starts, as the right-hander was on an innings limit following Tommy John surgery. Topkin notes that Bradley through 133 1/3 innings in 2022, and may be limited to 160 innings this season.
One other potential factor Topkin mentions is service time. By optioning Bradley, the Rays have assured themselves an additional season of team control over the 22-year-old, who now figures to be a free agent for the first time during the 2029-2030 offseason. That, of course, could change if Bradley finishes in the top two of Rookie of the Year voting this season, as he would be awarded a full year of service time in that case.
More from around the AL East…
- The Orioles today optioned infielder Joey Ortiz to Triple-A, recalling outfielder Kyle Stowers, per a team announcement. Ortiz, who was promoted to the big league club just this past Thursday, appeared in just three games for the Orioles during his first big league cup of coffee, recording two hits and striking out once in 8 at-bats. Stowers, meanwhile, impressed with a .253/.306/.418 slash line in 34 games at the big league level last season but did not record a hit in six at-bats with the big league club prior to being optioned to Triple-A during the second week of the season.
- The Red Sox expect to be without their closer for the next few days, as veteran Kenley Jansen noted to reporters (including Alex Speier of The Boston Globe) that he will be unavailable until at least Tuesday after pitching through back spasms in last night’s blown save against the Guardians. John Schreiber and Josh Winckowski have worked the late innings alongside Jansen in the early going this season, but with Chris Martin likely coming off the injured list today, the 36-year-old veteran may get the ninth inning while Jansen is down.
Rays Acquire Javy Guerra From Brewers
April 30: Per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times, the Rays have added Guerra to the active roster ahead of today’s game against the White Sox. Right-hander Calvin Faucher was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
April 29: The Rays and Brewers have swung a late-April trade, with right hander Javy Guerra heading to Tampa Bay in exchange for a player to be named later or cash, the teams announced. To make room on the roster, the Rays designated right hander Braden Bristo for assignment.
It’s a return to the Rays for Guerra, who the Rays had only traded to Milwaukee in November of last year. The 27-year-old was off to a poor start with the Brewers, pitching to an 8.64 ERA in 8 1/3 innings and had been designated for assignment. The chief culprit was a staggering 20% walk rate. Guerra had enjoyed some success with the Rays last season, working to a 3.38 ERA over 16 innings.
Guerra made his big league debut for the Padres back in 2019, and compiled a combined 8.46 ERA over 27 2/3 innings for the organization over four years. He found his way to the Rays last year and enjoyed his best run of success in the big leagues there. The 12.9% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate he had in Tampa indicated he some outperformance of his peripherals, and the Rays flipped him to Milwaukee at the end of the season for minor leaguer Victor Castaneda. After struggling in Milwaukee, Guerra will now return to Tampa and look to rediscover some success there.
14 Veterans With Upcoming Opportunity To Opt Out Of Minor League Deals
As part of last year’s collective bargaining agreement, MLB and the Players Association agreed to a few automatic opt-out dates for some veteran players on minor league contracts. Article XX(B) free agents — players with over six years of MLB service who finished the preceding season on a big league roster — who sign minor league contracts more than ten days before Opening Day now receive three uniform chances to retest free agency if they’re not added to the majors.
The first comes five days before the start of the season. For players who pass on that initial opt-out, they have additional windows to explore the open market on both May 1 and June 1 if they’ve yet to secure a spot on the 40-man roster. As that second opt-out date nears, it’s worth checking in on a few players with opt-outs under the CBA. We’ll also look at a few players who don’t meet those criteria but reportedly negotiated forthcoming opt-out dates into their own non-roster deals.
- Reds RHP Chase Anderson
Anderson was an Article XX(B) player who passed on his first opt-out chance. The 35-year-old finished last season with nine outings (seven starts) for the Reds, allowing a 6.38 ERA in 24 innings. He returned to the organization and has started five games for their top affiliate in Louisville. He carries a 4.30 ERA over 23 frames with a modest 19% strikeout rate while walking 13% of opposing hitters. It’s not a great first few weeks but the Reds don’t have much certainty behind their top three starters. Connor Overton is on the injured list, while Luis Cessa has been rocked for 20 runs in 16 2/3 innings.
- Angels RHP Chris Devenski
Devenski also forewent his Spring Training opt-out. The 32-year-old accepted a season-opening assignment to Triple-A Salt Lake, where he’s made seven relief outings. In nine innings, he’s allowed four runs with nine strikeouts and three walks. It’s a decent if not overwhelming performance. Devenski was an elite multi-inning relief option for the Astros between 2016-17 but he’s battled injuries and performance fluctuations since then. He threw 14 2/3 MLB innings between the Diamondbacks and Phillies last year, allowing an 8.59 ERA with a modest 17.5% strikeout rate but only walking one of the 67 hitters he faced. The Angels have a number of relievers who can’t be optioned to the minor leagues, perhaps reducing their flexibility to add another player of that ilk in Devenski.
- Nationals LHP Sean Doolittle
Doolittle bypassed an opt-out chance in Spring Training after returning to Washington over the winter. He’s spent the year on the injured list as he continues to work back from last summer’s internal brace UCL surgery. The veteran threw a live batting practice session this week and could see game action in the not too distant future (via MLB.com injury tracker). It stands to reason he’ll stick with the Nats.
- Rangers LHP Danny Duffy, OF Rafael Ortega
Duffy has spent the season on the injured list. He’s working back from forearm issues that have prevented him from throwing a major league pitch since July 2021. He already passed on a Spring Training opt-out and seems likely to do so again.
Ortega built an April 29 opt-out date into the minor league deal he signed with the Rangers earlier this month. He’d spent the spring in camp with the Yankees but didn’t crack New York’s roster and retested the market. Since signing with Texas, he’s played 17 games for Triple-A Round Rock. He carries a middling .219/.324/.313 line with one homer through 74 plate appearances. He’s drawing plenty of walks but not hitting for power and striking out a little more often than he has in recent seasons.
The lefty-hitting outfielder is coming off a reasonable .241/.331/.358 showing for the Cubs in 2022. He’s capable of playing all three outfield spots but is probably best suited for a corner. Texas has gotten strong early-season work from minor league signee Travis Jankowski and has Adolis García and Leody Taveras penciled into starting roles. The Rangers haven’t gotten much production from any of their left field options aside from Jankowski, though, and it’s questionable how long the journeyman can keep up anything approaching his current .340/.415/.447 pace.
- Rays OF Ben Gamel
Gamel, 31 next month, has been a decent left-handed platoon outfielder in recent seasons. He typically hits around a league average level, including a .232/.324/.369 line over 115 games with the Pirates last year. After signing with the Rays, he’s off to a .217/.316/.406 start in 79 plate appearances at Triple-A Durham. He’s walking at a customarily strong 12.7% clip but has gone down on strikes in more than 30% of his trips. Left-handed hitting outfielders Josh Lowe and Luke Raley have had excellent starts for Tampa Bay, which could make it hard for Gamel to play his way into the MLB mix anytime soon.
- White Sox OF Billy Hamilton
Hamilton, 32, returned for a second stint with the White Sox over the winter. He’s appeared in 14 games with Triple-A Charlotte but hasn’t produced, stumbling to a .150/.292/.175 batting line. The speedster has been successful on all three of his stolen base attempts but likely needs to show a little more at the plate to earn the pinch-running/defensive specialist role he’s played for a number of teams over the past four-plus seasons. The White Sox recently selected Adam Haseley onto the MLB roster to serve as a glove-first fourth outfielder.
- Phillies RHP Jeff Hoffman
Hoffman didn’t sign early enough to receive the automatic opt-out for Article XX(B) free agents. He negotiated opt-out chances on both May 1 and July 1 into his April deal with the Phils. The righty has pitched seven times for their top affiliate in Lehigh Valley, allowing eight runs across 7 2/3 innings. He’s punched out 13 hitters but handed out five free passes. Hoffman had a reasonable 3.83 ERA through 44 2/3 frames for the Reds last season, missing bats at a league average rate but walking nearly 12% of his opponents. The Phils only have three out of eight relievers who can’t be optioned to the minors, giving them some room to add the veteran if they’re intrigued by Hoffman’s swing-and-miss capabilities.
- Brewers OF Tyler Naquin
Naquin was an Article XX(B) free agent who didn’t break camp with the big league club. He split the 2022 campaign between the Reds and Mets, combining to hit .229/.282/.423 over 334 trips to the plate. The left-handed hitting outfielder has played in 12 games for Triple-A Nashville, hitting .273/.319/.409. He’s not hitting for much power in the early going and has never been one to take too many walks. Naquin spent a bit of time on the injured list this month but was reinstated earlier in the week.
Milwaukee lost center fielder Garrett Mitchell to a season-threatening shoulder procedure and has gotten middling offensive production from rookie outfielder Joey Wiemer. They’re soon to welcome Tyrone Taylor back from the injured list, though, and Naquin’s serviceable but unexceptional Triple-A production may not force the front office’s hand.
- Tigers RHP Trevor Rosenthal
Rosenthal has had his last couple seasons washed away by injury. He lost 2021 to thoracic outlet syndrome and hip surgery, while his ’22 campaign was wiped out by hamstring and lat strains. The Tigers took a look at the one-time star closer in Spring Training and kept him in the organization with their highest affiliate in Toledo. Rosenthal pitched twice in the season’s first week before being placed on the minor league IL with a sprained throwing elbow. Jason Beck of MLB.com tweeted yesterday that Rosenthal is headed for physical therapy, suggesting he won’t be ready for game action in the near future.
- Giants RHP Joe Ross, C Gary Sánchez
Ross is recovering from last June’s Tommy John surgery and will spend most of the year on the injured list. He bypassed his first opt-out chance in March and seems likely to do the same next week.
Sánchez’s May 1 opt-out was built into his contract, as he didn’t sign early enough to receive the automatic opt-out under the CBA. The general expectation was that the veteran backstop would play his way onto the big league roster. That was particularly true once San Francisco lost Roberto Pérez to a season-ending shoulder injury. Sánchez hasn’t done anything to force the issue with Triple-A Sacramento, though.
He’s hitting a woeful .191/.350/.213 without a home run and a 25% strikeout rate over 13 games. Sánchez connected on 16 longballs in the majors for the Twins last year but only reached base at a .282 clip. There’s a path to playing time behind the dish at Oracle Park. Still, Sánchez’s early performance hasn’t been what the organization envisioned. Promoting him would lock in the prorated portion of a $4MM salary for this season, which could prove a disincentive for the club.
- Twins RHP Aaron Sanchez
Sanchez served a depth role for Minnesota last season, logging 60 innings over 15 outings (ten starts). He was tagged for a 6.60 ERA at the MLB level but performed well enough in Triple-A the organization brought him back. He’s started five games with St. Paul this season, logging 22 1/3 innings. While his 2.42 ERA is excellent, it belies a middling 19.2% strikeout percentage and a huge 17.2% walk rate. Minnesota has quite a bit more rotation depth than they did last summer and would probably look to players already on the 40-man roster (i.e. Simeon Woods Richardson and Louie Varland) before tabbing Sanchez if injuries necessitate.
- Padres RHP Craig Stammen
Stammen suffered a capsule tear in his shoulder in Spring Training. The 39-year-old has spent the year on the injured list and has admitted the injury might unfortunately end his career.
Heath Hembree Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Heath Hembree has cleared waivers and elected free agency, reports Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times. The righty was designated for assignment earlier in the week.
The 34-year-old right-hander spent many years as a reliable reliever for the Red Sox. From 2015 to 2019, he made 234 appearances with a 3.59 ERA in that stretch. However, he’s gone into journeyman mode in the past few years, bouncing from the Sox to the Phillies, Mets, Reds, Pirates, Dodgers and now the Rays since the start of 2020. He has a 6.55 ERA in that time frame.
The Rays signed him to a minor league deal in the offseason and selected his contract on Tuesday. He made one scoreless appearance of an inning and a third before getting the DFA treatment the very next day. He had made eight Triple-A appearances before getting called up, posting a 1.29 ERA at that level.
Any player with a previous career outright or more than three years of service time can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency. Hembree qualifies on both accounts. He’ll now return to the open market in search of his next opportunity. Various clubs throughout the league have seen their pitching depth depleted by injuries and could be interested in an experienced veteran option like Hembree.