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Braves Select Top Prospect Vaughn Grissom, Activate Kirby Yates

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The Braves announced Wednesday that they’ve selected the contract of top infield prospect Vaughn Grissom from Double-A Mississippi and activated right-hander Kirby Yates from the 60-day injured list.

To open space on the 40-man roster, Atlanta activated first baseman Mike Ford from the 10-day IL and designated him for assignment and also transferred outfielder Adam Duvall from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL. Atlanta also announced that infielder Orlando Arcia is headed to the 10-day IL with a hamstring strain and that righty Huascar Ynoa has been optioned to Triple-A. That frees up a pair of spots on the 26-man roster for Grissom and Yates.

Still just 21 years old, Grissom was an 11th-round pick in 2019 who has skyrocketed through the minors, culminating in a .363/.408/.516 slash through his first 98 plate appearances in Double-A. That’s his only experience above A-ball, though this year’s .312/.404/.487 output in 344 plate appearances at High-A bear mention as well. It’s the second time this season that the Braves have aggressively promoted a top prospect directly from the Double-A ranks, and it’s easy to imagine that the major success of Michael Harris II may have emboldened the front office to go back to the well a second time.

Despite that humble draft status, Grissom has ascended to the No. 77 spot on Baseball America’s latest top-100 prospect ranking and No. 98 over at MLB.com. He’s cracked 14 home run, 20 doubles and two triples across those two minor league levels this season, all while going 27-for-32 in stolen base attempts. Grissom doesn’t walk much (8.1% on the season but just four walks in 98 Double-A plate appearances), but he’s also fanned in only 12.2% of his plate appearances this season.

Grissom has been primarily a shortstop this season and throughout his minor league career, but the Braves have given him seven starts at second base and six at third base so far in the minors this year.  Scouting reports at BA. MLB.com and FanGraphs question his ability to remain at shortstop in the long run, but his bat is thought to be solid enough to profile at second, third or even in the outfield (though he’s played infield exclusively to this point in his pro career). In the short term, with Arcia headed to the IL and Ozzie Albies still mending a broken foot, it seems likely that Grissom will be ticketed for work at second base.

Starting Grissom’s service clock now sets him up for  a potential trip to free agency in the 2028-29 offseason, although plenty can change that trajectory along the way. Albies and third baseman Austin Riley are signed long-term in the infield, and it’s not yet known whether the Braves will be able to retain free-agent-to-be Dansby Swanson beyond the current season. Even if Swanson were to depart, Grissom wouldn’t be a lock to step right into the fray. He’s largely untested above Class-A, and while Harris’ success story is encouraging, it’s more common for players — even top prospects — to struggle following such aggressive promotions. Regardless, he’ll earn some big league service time this season, and his placement on the 40-man roster a year sooner than was required will accelerate his minor league option schedule.

Turning to the veteran Yates, he’ll add yet another high-profile, potentially dominant arm to an Atlanta bullpen that is hardly short on such commodities. The 35-year-old inked a two-year, $8.25MM deal this winter — a backloaded contract that pays him just $1MM in 2022 due to the fact that Yates has been shelved for the entire season to this point while rehabbing from last year’s Tommy John surgery. When healthy most recently, in 2018-19, he was an All-Star closer with the Padres, pitching to a combined 1.67 ERA with 53 saves, a huge 38.7% strikeout rate and a tiny 6.1% walk rate.

It remains to be seen whether Yates can recapture that form, but his work on a minor league rehab assignment thus far certainly creates some optimism. Across three Braves affiliates, Yates logged a combined 8 1/3 innings of one-run ball with just four hits allowed and a 10-to-2 K/BB ratio. He’ll join Kenley Jansen, Raisel Iglesias, A.J. Minter, Tyler Matzek and Collin McHugh near the back of an outstanding bullpen.

As for the 30-year-old Ford, he’s gone hitless in eight big league plate appearances with the Braves this season and logged a combined .150/.320/.175 batting line in 50 plate appearances between Atlanta, Seattle and San Francisco. The former Yankees minor leaguer was never considered among the top prospects in the New York organization but does carry a .258/.355/.481 batting line and 61 homers through 1294 career plate appearances in Triple-A. With trades of players who’ve been on Major League rosters this season now prohibited after the Aug. 2 deadline, Ford will be placed on waivers within the next week and be made available to all 29 other clubs.

Guardians Promote Tyler Freeman

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The Guardians have called up infield prospect Tyler Freeman for his Major League debut and optioned infielder Ernie Clement to Triple-A Columbus in his place, per a team announcement. (Zack Meisel of The Athletic first reported that Freeman was being called up). Freeman is already on the 40-man roster, so the Guardians didn’t need to make any additional transactions to accommodate the move.

Freeman, 23, was the No. 71 overall pick back in 2017 and has long rated as one of the best prospects in the organization — if not the entire league. Baseball America, FanGraphs and MLB.com all ranked him inside the game’s top-100 minor leaguers heading into the season, although Freeman has fallen just off some of those lists on midseason updates. He still ranks seventh in their system at both BA and FanGraphs.

That’s not to say he’s had a poor year in 2022, but Freeman underwent surgery to repair a torn labrum in his shoulder last summer and hasn’t quite picked up where he left off with the bat. After turning in a strong .323/.370/.470 batting line in 180 plate appearances at the Double-A level last year, he’s hitting .279/.372/.364 in 340 Triple-A plate appearances this season. The six home runs he’s hit in 2022 are already a career-high, but he hasn’t been producing the other extra-base hits typically expected (seven doubles, zero triples).

Freeman, similarly to teammate Steven Kwan, was always viewed as a player with a plus hit tool and below-average power, though he’s typically been able to rack up doubles and the occasional triple. That hasn’t been the case this year, but his bat-to-ball skills have been on full display, as he’s punched out in just 9.1% of his plate appearances. Adding Freeman to a lineup that also features Kwan (8.9% strikeout rate), Jose Ramirez (9.5%), Myles Straw (14.7%) and Amed Rosario (14.9%) should only further drop Cleveland’s already MLB-low 18.6% strikeout rate.

It’s an unorthodox approach to lineup construction in today’s brand of three-true-outcome baseball, particularly given that the glut of contact comes at the expense of power. Cleveland has trotted out a mostly punchless lineup for much of the season and ranks 29th in MLB with 82 home runs as a team. Guardians hitters also don’t walk much, landing 22nd with a 7.6% walk rate, and Freeman (7.4% walk rate in Triple-A, 4.4% in Double-A last year) isn’t going to bolster their outlook in that regard. Still, Cleveland ranks 16th in the Majors in runs scored and 17th with a collective 99 wRC+, so the approach of surrounding the superhuman Ramirez with generally high-contact slashers has combined for middle-of-the-pack offensive output.

The question regarding Freeman will be one of where he slots into the lineup. He’s split his time quite evenly between the two middle infield slots this season, but the Guardians have Andres Gimenez in the midst of a breakout year at second base (Freeman’s best position) and Rosario is having a solid year at shortstop. Freeman gives Cleveland a bench upgrade over Clement (particularly with the bat), but it doesn’t appear as though there are regular at-bats to be had, barring an injury that’s yet to come to light.

Freeman could always be mixed in as a utility option, spelling Gimenez, Rosario and Ramirez on occasion while also seeing time at designated hitter in light of Franmil Reyes’ recent demotion to Triple-A Columbus. Cleveland has shielded lefty-swinging rookie Nolan Jones from facing southpaws, and first baseman Josh Naylor has floundered against lefties himself — so Freeman could add a righty bat to the mix against southpaws, giving manager Terry Francona some additional platoon scenarios. Freeman has struggled badly against lefties in Triple-A this season (.241/.339/.278), but that’s a sample of just 62 plate appearances and he’s crushed southpaws in each of his other four minor league campaigns.

Dodgers To Promote Miguel Vargas

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The Dodgers are promoting top prospect Miguel Vargas, reports Juan Toribio of MLB.com (Twitter link). J.P. Hoornstra of the Southern California News Group first reported that Vargas was reporting to the team.

Vargas was a consensus top-100 prospect heading into the season, and his status was bumped up to 28th (Baseball America) and 68th (MLB Pipeline) in midseason updates of those prospect rankings.  The rather wide variance could relate to questions about Vargas’ defensive future, as his glovework has received only a 45 grade on the 20-80 scouting scale.  Vargas has mostly played third base in his career and also seen some time at second, but many evaluators think he could be a first baseman in the future.

That will put more pressure on Vargas to hit if he might be ticketed for a first base or even DH spot, yet there isn’t much question about Vargas’ bat.  With strong contact, the ability to hit to all fields, and increasing power numbers, Vargas is looking like a force at the plate, and he has hit .291/.382/.497 with 15 home runs over 437 plate appearances at Triple-A this season.

The Dodgers made Vargas an international signing in 2017, two years following his defection from Cuba.  The 22-year-old will now become the latest in a long line of intriguing homegrown prospects for Los Angeles, and he could get some extra opportunity as a right-handed hitter on a roster of mostly left-handed bats.  Vargas could see action around the infield, particularly with the banged-up Justin Turner relegated to DH duty after missing several games with an abdominal injury.

With Chris Taylor expected back from the injured list within the week, Vargas’ big league call-up might not amount to move than a cup of coffee, though the Dodgers have been willing to give more playing time to youngsters in big situations if their play warrants such extra usage.  In the bigger picture, Turner and Max Muncy could both be free agents after the season, so a good showing from Vargas could impact the Dodgers’ plan for retaining either of those two veterans (both of whom are having underwhelming 2022 seasons).

Marlins Promote JJ Bleday, Place Jorge Soler On Injured List

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The Marlins have selected the contract of former first-round pick JJ Bleday and added him to the active roster, per Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (via Twitter).  Bleday’s addition to the roster comes in response to Jorge Soler going on the 10-day injured list with lower back spasms.

There isn’t any backdating on Soler’s IL placement, so the veteran slugger will (at minimum) be out of action until the August 2 trade deadline.  Though Miami has several players who could be trade chips by the deadline, there hadn’t been much buzz about the possibility of Soler being traded, which speaks to both Soler’s contract, the Marlins’ longer-term plans, and his tough 2022 season.

Soler, the reigning World Series MVP, inked a three-year, $36MM free agent deal with the Marlins after the lockout.  Soler has the ability to opt out after both this season (leaving $24MM on the table) and after the 2023 season (leaving his $9MM salary for 2024 on the table), though it would seem unlikely that Soler would again test free agency on the heels of an underwhelming year to date.

Soler has hit .207/.295/.400 with 13 home runs over 306 plate appearances, with a 99 wRC+ that reflects slightly below-average production.  Despite the lack of big numbers, there is some evidence that Soler could turn it on in the second half.  After all, it was just last season that Soler went on a tear after being dealt to the Braves at the deadline, and he more or less carried that hot streak all the way through the World Series.

This year, Soler has outstanding hard-contact numbers and a .322 xwOBA that is above his .305 wOBA, even if that .322 mark is only around the league average.  Soler is also walking at an above-average rate but is swinging and missing a ton, as his 29.4% strikeout rate is only in the ninth percentile of all batters.  Teams are playing shifts against Soler 78% of the time, which is stifling his solid contact numbers — Soler has only a .275 wOBA against the shift, and a whopping .411 wOBA when not facing shifts.

Injuries have also played a role in the last few weeks, as Soler missed about two weeks at the start of July with bilateral pelvis inflammation, and played in only five games before this latest return to the IL.  It remains to be seen how much extra time Soler might miss (if more than 10 days), but his absence will open the door for Bleday’s Major League debut.

The fourth overall pick of the 2019 draft, Bleday has hit .229/.365/.470 with 20 home runs over 367 PA at Triple-A Jacksonville this season, his first exposure to Triple-A pitching.  It’s a nice breakout for Bleday, who didn’t hit much in his brief minor league debut in 2019 and then struggled in his first full season of pro ball in 2021.  His lack of results last year cost Bleday a slot in some top-100 prospect rankings, but MLB Pipeline still had him 69th on their preseason list.

Of course, Bleday didn’t play at all in 2020 due to the canceled minor league season, so it isn’t necessarily surprising that it took some time to get back on track.  The 24-year-old’s performance in 2022 has seemingly quieted a lot of questions about his power potential and on-base ability, though Bleday is still not hitting for average and is still swinging-and-missing (99 strikeouts in those 367 PA) at a high rate.

Bleday’s strong throwing arm has made him more of a right-field candidate than his initial center field position, and in Miami, Avisail Garcia could slide over to left field to accommodate regular playing time for the rookie, or Bleday could simply take over left field himself.  With the Marlins perhaps already planning towards 2023, Bleday could very well get a long look as a potential candidate for an everyday spot next year.  Assuming Soler doesn’t opt out, he and Garcia are longer-term options in the corner outfield spots, but the DH is also available to juggle playing time down the road.

Marlins To Promote Max Meyer

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The Marlins are set to promote top pitching prospect Max Meyer, the team announced on Twitter (with video of him learning the news). Craig Mish of SportsGrid reports (Twitter link) that Meyer will start on Saturday against the Phillies.

It’ll be the major league debut for the right-hander, who flew through the minors. Miami selected Meyer with the third overall pick in the 2020 draft. The University of Minnesota product was the first pitcher off the board, and he’s excelled over his first two years in pro ball. There was no minor league season during his draft year because of the pandemic, and the Fish aggressively assigned Meyer to Double-A Pensacola for his first game action in 2021.

Meyer handled the assignment with aplomb, pitching to a 2.41 ERA through 20 starts. He punched out an above-average 27.2% of opponents while inducing ground-balls on more than half the batted balls he surrendered. Meyer’s walks were a touch high, but it was a promising showing for his first full pro season. He earned a late-season cameo at Triple-A Jacksonville and headed into last offseason as one of the sport’s better pitching prospects.

Entering the 2022 campaign, each of Baseball America, FanGraphs and Kiley McDaniel of ESPN slotted Meyer among the game’s top 100 overall prospects. He drew praise for a mid-upper 90s fastball and a slider that some evaluators considered the best single pitch in the 2020 draft class. The quality of his changeup was a bit more divisive, with FanGraphs and ESPN projecting it to average or better but BA considering it more of a fringy offering.

Meyer isn’t necessarily regarded as a future ace. BA and Keith Law of the Athletic (who slotted him fifth in the Miami system heading into the year) each noted that some evaluators point to his lack of pinpoint fastball command as a reason to project a potential bullpen future. That said, all four outlets suggested Meyer has the potential to be an above-average, mid-rotation or better arm if his command comes along. The Marlins will surely give him every opportunity to cement himself in the starting five over the coming seasons.

This year, the 23-year-old has continued to overpower upper minors hitters. He’s made 12 starts with the Jumbo Shrimp, tossing 58 innings of 3.72 ERA ball. He has a 28.4% strikeout percentage with a 50% grounder rate, and he’s cut his walk rate slightly from 9.6% in Double-A to 8.3% this season. Meyer spent a month on the injured list between mid-May and June, but he’s allowed two or fewer runs in each of his four starts since returning.

It remains to be seen whether Meyer will hold a rotation spot for good now that he’s headed to the big leagues, but there should be an opportunity if the club feels he’s ready for consistent run against MLB hitters. Miami’s top three is set in stone. Sandy Alcantara is performing at a Cy Young level, and Pablo López is having another excellent year. Trevor Rogers has had a disappointing first half, but he’s certainly not in danger of losing a rotation spot after an All-Star 2021 campaign.

The final two spots have been more questionable, in part due to injury. Elieser Hernández and Jesús Luzardo opened the year fourth and fifth on the depth chart. Hernández had a dreadful first few months and was eventually optioned to Jacksonville. He’s since been recalled but has worked in long relief. Luzardo, meanwhile, hit the injured list in May with a forearm strain and has yet to return to the big leagues. Sixto Sánchez hasn’t pitched all season, while Cody Poteet and Edward Cabrera have been on the IL for a while.

Former first-rounder Braxton Garrett has pitched well through seven starts since replacing Hernández in the rotation last month. Daniel Castano has stepped into the #5 role and held his own, working to a 4.35 ERA over six starts. He’s only striking out around 13% of hitters, though, so Meyer will certainly be a more high-octane option. Castano still has an option year remaining, and he can head back to Jacksonville or work out of the major league bullpen as needed.

The upcoming series is critical for the Marlins, who sit at 43-45. They’re three games back in the Wild Card standings. The Phils are one of two teams between them and the Cardinals, who currently hold the final playoff spot in the National League. The next two and a half weeks could shape how general manager Kim Ng and her staff approach the upcoming trade deadline, and they’ll turn to one of the sport’s most interesting young arms at this pivotal stage of the season.

Meyer is not on the 40-man roster, so the Marlins will have to formally select his contract on Saturday. Miami’s 40-man roster is full, but they can clear a roster spot by transferring one of their injured pitchers from the 15-day to the 60-day injured list. Reliever Anthony Bender has already missed almost two months and just began a rehab assignment today, so transferring him would be little more than a formality.

Image courtesy of USA Today Sports.

Royals Add Nick Pratto, Seven Others To Major League Roster

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The Royals announced Thursday that they’ve recalled top first base prospect Nick Pratto from Triple-A Omaha as one of eight players joining the Major League roster. Also coming to the Majors are catcher Sebastian Rivero, infielder Maikel Garcia and lefty Angel Zerpa, who’ve been recalled from Double-A Arkansas. Additionally, the Royals selected the contracts of infielder/outfielder Nate Eaton, catcher Freddy Fermin, outfielder Brewer Hicklen and infielder Michael Massey from Omaha.

The deluge of additions comes in conjunction with the previously announced slate of ten current Royals heading to the restricted list in advance of the team’s road series against the Blue Jays, where travel restrictions prevent unvaccinated athletes from entering Canada. Andrew Benintendi, Dylan Coleman, Hunter Dozier, Cam Gallagher, Kyle Isbel, Brad Keller, MJ Melendez, Whit Merrifield, Brady Singer and Michael A. Taylor are all now formally on the restricted list.

As MLB.com’s Anne Rogers tweets, the roster spots of starting pitchers placed on the restricted list (i.e. Singer, Keller) cannot be filled until four days after they last pitched, per MLB rules, which explains the discrepancy between eight players being added versus the ten who went on the restricted list.

The Royals indicated in today’s announcement that they expect to add “up to two more players” to the big league roster over the course of the series. They’ll make another addition tomorrow and another on Sunday. Any players whose contracts were selected to the 40-man roster for this series can be returned to Triple-A without first needing to clear waivers, due to their status as Covid-19-related replacements.

Pratto’s promotion is the most notable of the bunch. The 14th overall pick in the 2017 draft, the California high school product slowly progressed up the minor league ladder. He had an awful 2019 showing in High-A, and the cancelation of the following minor league season dealt his prospect stock a hit heading into 2021. The lefty hitter rebounded in a huge way last year, blasting 36 home runs in a season split between the minors top two levels. That came with some alarming strikeout numbers, but Pratto’s combination of power and huge walk totals was enough to put him firmly in top prospect consideration. He entered the season as Baseball America’s #43 overall farmhand.

Assigned to Omaha to open this year, Pratto has essentially picked up where he left off. He’s hit 17 more longballs and drawn walks at a massive 15.1% clip, but he’s fanned in over 30% of his trips to the plate. The end result — a .240/.374/.484 line through 337 plate appearances — is still excellent. The Royals nevertheless brought up fellow top prospect Vinnie Pasquantino ahead of Pratto, seemingly preferring he get a long leash to iron out the strikeout concerns in the upper minors. It’s very possible he’ll head back to Omaha after the Jays’ series, but Kansas City fans will at least get their first glimpse at a player they hope eventually develops into a middle-of-the-order bat.

It’ll almost certainly be a brief stint for the group of players temporarily added to the 40-man roster. Hicklen was called up briefly as a COVID replacement earlier in the season. Fermin, Massey and Eaton all have opportunities to make their big league debuts in the coming days. Fermin, a former international signee out of Venezuela, is hitting .242/.357/.422 with Omaha this season.

Massey, a fourth-round pick out of Illinois in 2019, was recently named the #8 prospect in the Kansas City system by Baseball America. He owns a .348/.408/.630 line with six homers in 24 games since being bumped up to Omaha last month, and he’ll almost certainly land a permanent 40-man roster spot by next offseason (when Kansas City would need to add him to keep him from being selected in the Rule 5 draft). Eaton is a former 21st-round pick out of VMI. BA recently slotted him 29th in the farm system in recognition of his .329/.388/.591 showing with the Storm Chasers.

Guardians Promote Nolan Jones, Designate Sandy Leon

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The Guardians announced a series of roster moves to reporters tonight, with Zack Meisel of The Athletic among those to relay them on Twitter. Prospect Nolan Jones has been promoted to the big leagues, while catcher Austin Hedges was activated from the seven-day concussion list. To create room for those two, outfielder Richie Palacios was optioned to Triple-A and catcher Sandy Leon was designated for assignment.

Jones, 24, was a second round selection of Cleveland in the 2016 draft. Considered by most evaluators to be a bat-first prospect, he mashed his way through the lower levels of the minors and jumped onto top prospect lists in 2019. Baseball America ranked him the #96 prospect in the league that year, with Jones pushing up the list as the season went on. However, that campaign ended on a bit of a sour note, as Jones underwent thumb surgery in October of 2019.

That was the first of a couple of obstacles that slowed his ascent to the big leagues. 2020 saw the minor leagues wiped out entirely by the pandemic, and Jones showed some rust when organized games returned in 2021. He improved as the season went along, though, finishing the year with a .238/.356/.431 line in 407 Triple-A plate appearances, good enough for a wRC+ of 113. Unfortunately, an ankle injury in August finished his season and caused him to start his offseason with a surgery for a second time.

Things seem to be back on track here in 2022, however, as Jones has hit .311/.417/.500 through 108 plate appearances in Triple-A this year, producing a 146 wRC+. If he can carry any of that over to the big leagues, it will provide an offensive boost to a team that’s lacking in that department. Despite an even 40-40 record, the team’s overall slash line is .243/.307/.377 for a wRC+ of 95, ranking them 21st in the league.

Defensively, things are a bit less certain for Jones. He largely played third base in his first few minor league seasons, but due to questions about his abilities there, coupled with the presence of Jose Ramirez, Jones has been moved to other places on the diamond. He started playing right field last year, with that spot becoming his regular home so far this season. He also played one game at first base last year and a couple in left field here in 2020. With Palacios being optioned out, Jones should step into the outfield mix next to Myles Straw and Steven Kwan.

As for Leon, 33, he started the year with the Reds on a minor league deal. The Guardians acquired him recently when Hedges landed on the IL. He got into nine games and hit .133/.381/.133. He’s never been much of a hitter outside of a surprise surge in 2016, instead earning his keep with quality game-calling and defense. The Guardians will have one week to trade him, pass him through waivers or release him. If he were to clear waivers, Leon would be eligible to reject an outright assignment by virtue of being a veteran with over five years of MLB service time.

Red Sox To Promote Brayan Bello On Wednesday

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Red Sox pitching prospect Brayan Bello is slated to make his Major League debut on Wednesday, as MassLive.com’s Katie Morrison (Twitter link) reports that Bello has been told he’ll be starting Boston’s game against the Rays.

Bello is the consensus choice as the top pitcher in Boston’s farm system, and his big 2022 season has gotten him on the radar as one of the better young arms in the sport.  In the most recently updated prospect rankings, Baseball America has Bello 44th on their top 100 list, Fangraphs has him 51st, and MLB Pipeline has the 23-year-old righty in the 75th position.

The Red Sox inked Bello for a modest $28K bonus during the 2016 international signing period, and while he pitched well enough in 2021 to earn a promotion to Double-A ball, he didn’t truly emerge until this season.  With a 4.66 ERA over 63 2/3 innings for Double-A Portland last season, Bello returned to Portland to post a 1.60 ERA over six starts and 33 2/3 frames, thus earning him a ticket to Triple-A Worcester.  The righty continued to impress, delivering a 2.81 ERA, 34.45% strikeout rate, and 10.05% walk rate in 51 1/3 innings with the WooSox.

Both Bello’s fastball and changeup are plus pitches, and his slider isn’t far behind as a strong third offering.  Bello’s fastball has gained roughly 5-6 miles of velocity since 2019 and could now approach the 100mph threshold on occasion, though he’ll usually throw in the mid-90s.  Command of that fastball has been an issue for Bello, but at its best, the fastball makes his changeup even more effective.

As promising as Bello is, stepping right into a big AL East matchup for a big league debut in July likely wouldn’t have happened if the Red Sox weren’t very shorthanded for starting pitchers.  Chris Sale, Nathan Eovaldi, Rich Hill, and Garrett Whitlock are all on the 15-day IL, plus Michael Wacha is battling a dead arm.  This has left Nick Pivetta, Josh Winckowski, Connor Seabold, and perhaps Kutter Crawford all lined up for starts depending on who is healthy and who gets back from the IL in time.  (Sale is tentatively slated to make his 2022 debut a week from today.)

Unless Boston’s injury woes continue or unless Bello completely dominates in his first taste of big league action, he probably isn’t likely to make an extended stay in Boston’s rotation.  However, a solid showing could certainly earn Bello more starts, and perhaps more time in the majors as a multi-inning reliever down the stretch.  All of the injuries have created uncertainty within the Red Sox rotation, and with plenty of questions still existing in the bullpen, there would seem to be room for a highly-touted youngster to seize a foothold on the active roster.

Astros Promote Korey Lee

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The Astros are promoting catching prospect Korey Lee to make his major league debut, as was first reported by Mark Berman of Fox 26 (on Twitter). Backup catcher Jason Castro is headed to the 10-day injured list with left knee discomfort. To clear space for Lee on the 40-man roster, lefty reliever Blake Taylor is being transferred from the 15-day to the 60-day IL.

Lee is a former supplemental first-rounder, having been taken 32nd overall in the 2019 draft. A Cal-Berkeley product, he hadn’t been seen by many public prospect evaluators as a first-round talent at the time. Houston’s decision to nab him early looks strong in retrospect, as Lee has played his way to the majors a little less than three years later.

The righty-hitting backstop has also raised his stock in the eyes of most evaluators. Each of Baseball America and FanGraphs placed him among the game’s top 100 overall prospects heading into the season. Kiley McDaniel of ESPN and Keith Law of the Athletic each placed him just outside their top 100 and ranked him among the three best farmhands in the Houston system.

Across the board, those outlets suggested Lee could develop into a capable #1 catcher at his peak. His carrying tool is an arm that garners grades between plus and plus-plus (a 60 or 70 on the 20-80 scouting scale), and he’s generally regarded as a solid or better overall defender. Lee’s bat is more of a question, as he’s struggled against upper level pitching after mashing in the low minors.

The 2022 season has been particularly challenging, as Lee carries only a .226/.285/.419 line with ten home runs through 270 plate appearances at Triple-A Sugar Land. He’s flashed some power, with a .194 ISO (slugging percentage minus batting average) that’s north of the league average, but he’s only walked in 6.7% of his plate appearances against an elevated 27% strikeout rate.

Given those struggles against upper minors pitching, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see Lee eventually optioned back to Sugar Land. The Astros have long placed a premium on defense behind the plate, though, as evidenced by their commitment to the light-hitting Martín Maldonado in recent years. Maldonado will remain the primary option, while Lee will take Castro’s spot as his backup while the latter is out. Houston would’ve had to add Lee to the 40-man roster at the end of this season anyhow to keep him from being taken in next winter’s Rule 5 draft.

Taylor, meanwhile, has been out since June 4 with discomfort in his throwing elbow. There’s no clear timetable for his return, and he’ll now be ineligible to pitch in the majors until the first week of August. Injuries to Taylor and Parker Mushinski have left manager Dusty Baker to handle an all right-handed bullpen at times, and it stands to reason the front office will look into acquiring a southpaw over the next few weeks.

Red Sox Promote Jeter Downs, Designate James Norwood

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The Red Sox announced Monday that they’ve recalled infield prospect Jeter Downs from Triple-A Worcester and designated right-hander James Norwood for assignment.

It’ll be the Major League debut for Downs whenever he first steps onto the field for a game. Acquired alongside Alex Verdugo and Connor Wong in the trade that sent Mookie Betts and David Price to the Dodgers, Downs was once widely ranked among the sport’s 100 best prospects but has seen his stock tumble following a pair of poor showings in Triple-A. In 53 games so far with the WooSox, the 23-year-old Downs is hitting just .180/.297/.397 with a 31.1% strikeout rate in 222 plate appearances. That actually represents a modest improvement over his struggles in a larger sample during the 2021 campaign. Overall, he’s now tallied 627 Triple-A plate appearances with just a .187/.281/.355 slash to show for it.

Those struggles notwithstanding, Downs will get his first big league look and give the Sox some extra infield depth at a time when both Christian Arroyo and Enrique Hernandez are on the injured list. Major League teams who’d been carrying 14 pitchers also need to cut their pitching staff back to 13 beginning today, and Downs was already on the 40-man roster, making him an easy name to recall. They’ll need a 40-man spot once Arroyo is cleared to return from the Covid-related injured list anyhow, so designating Norwood and briefly giving Downs a taste of the Majors is a sensible — albeit likely short-term — route to take for the time being.

Norwood, acquired from the Phillies for cash over the weekend, never appeared in a game with the Sox before what is now his third DFA in the past three months. The 28-year-old spent the bulk of Spring Training with the Padres but was designated for assignment late in camp and subsequently traded to Philadelphia for minor league infielder Kervin Pichardo. Norwood showed big velocity, an ability to miss bats and a knack for keeping the ball in the park during his 17 1/3 innings with the Phils. However, he also walked too many hitters, struggled to strand runners (both inherited and those he allowed to reach base), and generally yielded too much hard contact.

In those 17 1/3 frames with Philly, Norwood was tagged for an 8.31 ERA, causing his career mark through 44 1/3 innings to balloon to 5.48. It’s certainly possible that Norwood’s 96.8 mph average fastball and splitter that comes with a 42.7% whiff rate will get him a look from another team, be it via waivers or another small trade. He’s out of minor league options, though, so any interested club will need to carry him on the 40-man roster. The Red Sox will have a week to trade Norwood, attempt to pass him through outright waivers, or release him.

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