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Brewers Claim Aaron Brooks From Cubs

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The Brewers have claimed right-hander Aaron Brooks off outright waivers from the Cubs, MLBTR has learned (Twitter links). He’ll join Milwaukee’s Triple-A affiliate for the time being. Brooks was designated for assignment over the weekend when the Cubs picked up Rene Rivera from the Mets.

A hip injury cost Brooks the majority of the 2016 season, and he’s struggled with Triple-A Iowa thus far in 2017. Through 138 innings there, Brooks has posted a 6.20 earned run average, though his 6.9 K/9, 1.8 BB/9, 48.7 percent ground-ball rate and 4.29 xFIP all offer a bit more cause for optimism than his bottom-line run prevention numbers. Brooks had a solid year in 2015 with the Triple-A affiliates of the Royals and Athletics, pitching to a 3.56 ERA with 7.8 K/9 against 1.6 BB/9. With rosters set to expand in September, it’s possible that Brooks’ residence on the 40-man roster could lead to a September look audition with the Brewers.

Indians Place Andrew Miller, Danny Salazar On 10-Day DL

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4:22pm: MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets that Salazar felt “tightness” in his right elbow during a side session Tuesday and will undergo an MRI later tonight.

2:23pm: The Indians have placed two key hurlers — lefty Andrew Miller and right-handed starter Danny Salazar — on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. The team has recalled righty Shawn Armstrong and infielder Yandy Diaz to take the open roster spots.

It’s disappointing to see both Miller and Salazar landing back on the DL so soon after recent trips. The former left his appearance last night after a worrying dip in velocity, as his patellar tendinitis flared up. Meanwhile, the latter has been diagnosed with elbow inflammation. He missed a lengthy stretch with shoulder woes, but had pitched brilliantly in his first five starts upon his return before turning in a dud in his last outing.

The outlook on these two pitchers isn’t yet clear, but Cleveland will obviously be hoping for a relatively quick return. While the Indians do enjoy a fairly healthy 5.5-game cushion in the AL Central, that’s hardly an unassailable position. If a repeat postseason run is to be had, the club will need these high-powered arms at its disposal.

Angels Sign Fernando Salas To Minors Deal

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The Angels have brought right-hander Fernando Salas back into the fold on a minor league pact, the team’s Triple-A affiliate announced this weekend (Twitter link). The 32-year-old Salas, who was recently released by the Mets after a down season, has already tossed a scoreless frame for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate in Salt Lake City. He’s represented by Paragon Sports.

Salas is a known commodity for much of the Angels organization, having spent the better part of three seasons there from 2014-16. In 178 1/3 innings as a member of the Angels, Salas pitched to a 4.03 ERA with 9.1 K/9 against 2.3 BB/9. His first tenure with the club ultimately ended when he was flipped to the Mets in an August swap 53 weeks ago. That trade was initially a boon for the Mets’ relief corps, as Salas hurled 17 1/3 innings with just four runs allowed on 11 hits and no walks with 19 strikeouts.

That run of dominance prompted a return to Queens on a one-year, $3MM contract this offseason, but Salas’ second year with the Mets didn’t match the first. In 45 innings this season, he logged an even 6.00 ERA. Much of those struggles were due to a .379 BABIP that looks rather fluky, but Salas also averaged 4.0 walks per nine innings pitched — his worst mark since 2012 — and allowed hard contact at a 37.4 percent clip (the second-worst mark of his career). Conversely, Salas’ 9.4 K/9 rate was the second-highest mark in any of his eight MLB seasons, and his 45.1 percent ground-ball rate was easily a career-high.

The Angels will only owe Salas the pro-rated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the Majors, as the Mets will be on the hook for the remainder of his contract. With a solid showing in Triple-A, Salas could very well emerge as an option for the Angels in the season’s final month, perhaps helping to pick up some of the slack following Anaheim’s trade of fellow righty David Hernandez to the Diamondbacks.

Phillies To Sign Henderson Alvarez

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Right-hander Henderson Alvarez is in the process of signing on with the Phillies, according to Jon Heyman of Fan Rag (Twitter links). It’s a minors pact that would pay Alvarez at a $750K annual rate for any time he spends in the big leagues this year.

Alvarez turned in a 2.65 ERA over 187 innings back in 2014, earning an All-Star nod and Cy Young consideration, but has battled significant shoulder injuries ever since. Two surgeries and extensive rehab has kept him from pitching in the majors since early 2015.

The righty put on a showcase earlier this summer in hopes of landing an opportunity, but ended up settling for a shot with the indy ball Long Island Ducks. He has made seven starts this year, working to a 3.09 ERA in 32 frames. Alvarez also managed only 13 strikeouts against 14 walks in that span, though his health is surely more important than the results at this point.

Heyman does note that Alvarez has been clocked at up to 98 mph with his fastball. That would appear to suggest that he has at least regained any lost arm strength. Alvarez sat between 94 and 95 with the heater for most of his time in the majors, but had suddenly dropped to the low nineties in his four starts before hitting the DL back in ’15.

The Phillies could simply like the idea of bolstering their depth down the stretch, but the club may see a larger opportunity here, too. By giving Alvarez a chance at a late-season MLB platform, the Phils will also be getting an up-close look at the potential reclamation candidate. And Alvarez can still be tendered arbitration one final time, giving the team an option to retain him for 2018.

Marlins Designate Javy Guerra

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The Marlins have designated righty Javy Guerra for assignment, per a club announcement. His roster spot will go to southpaw Jarlin Garcia, who was activated from the DL.

Guerra has had some success in the majors, compiling a 3.10 lifetime ERA over 162 1/3 frames. Most of those came with the Dodgers in 2011 and 2012, and he also enjoyed a productive run in 2014 with the White Sox.

That said, the 31-year-old has seen only minimal MLB action over the past three seasons. This year, Guerra appeared in 5 2/3 innings for Miami, allowing four earned runs while both walking and striking out five opposing batters. He also struggled to a 4.99 ERA with 7.6 K/9 and 3.7 BB/9 in his 48 2/3 frames at Triple-A New Orleans.

Melvin Upton Requests & Receives Release From Giants

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The Giants have released veteran outfielder Melvin Upton after he requested his release, as Jon Heyman of Fan Rag first reported on Twitter. Upton, it seems, is hopeful of catching on with a contender down the stretch.

Upton, who turns 33 today, caught on with the Giants in early April after he was released by the Blue Jays at the end of camp. He has seen only minimal action since, owing to thumb and shoulder issues. And none of it has come at the major-league level.

If Upton doesn’t make it back to the majors this year, it would represent his first season without MLB action since way back in 2005. He certainly will need to show he warrants a roster spot before he’ll have an opportunity, as he struggled badly late last year and Toronto and has hit just .244/.306/.333 over 49 plate appearances this year at Triple-A.

Still, it is conceivable that Upton could end up being a useful bench piece for a late-season run. He has long been a stolen base threat and quality overall baserunner. While defensive metrics have wavered on his glovework in center, both UZR and DRS graded him as a positive contributor in left field in 2016.

Paul Janish To Retire, Join Rice University Coaching Staff

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Veteran utility infielder Paul Janish has been granted his release from the Orioles’ Triple-A affiliate and “has left the club with plans to retire,” reports David Hall of the Virginian Pilot (on Twitter). Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com tweets that O’s skipper Buck Showalter confirmed the release, and Kubatko adds that Janish will join the coaching staff at his alma mater, Rice University.

The 34-year-old Janish was a fifth-round selection out of Rice by the Reds back in the 2004 draft. He debuted with the Reds just under four years later, appearing in 38 games as a rookie. While he never fully cemented himself as a regular with the Reds, Janish spent parts of the next four seasons in Cincinnati before joining the Braves for the 2012-13 seasons. He’s appeared in 14 games with the Orioles in each of the past three seasons, including the current campaign.

All told, the light-hitting Janish will wrap up his career as a .212/.280/.284 batter over the life of 473 Major League games and 1305 Major League plate appearances. Despite that lack of offensive production, though, Janish’s superlative glovework allowed him to spend parts of nine seasons in the Majors. Primarily a shortstop, Janish graded out at 21 runs above average, per Defensive Runs Saved, and 17.3 runs above average, per Ultimate Zone Rating. He also logged 140 innings at second base and 262 innings at third base.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/21/17

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Here are Monday’s minor moves from around the league…

  • The Twins are set to select the contract of right-hander Tim Melville to start one half of today’s doubleheader, as La Velle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune wrote this weekend. The 27-year-old journeyman signed a minor league pact with the Twins in June after a decent start to the season with the independent Long Island Ducks. In 11 games (10 starts) with the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate, Melville posted a 2.70 ERA with 8.6 K/9, 3.1 BB/9 and a 33.7 percent ground-ball rate. There was some talk that top prospect Stephen Gonsalves could have his start pushed back to make his MLB debut Monday, but Melville will be the choice instead. For what it’s worth, the White Sox have MLB’s sixth-best wRC+ against lefties but rank 24th against righties. That and the fact that Gonsalves was only recently promoted to Triple-A (he made his third start for Rochester yesterday) may both have been factors in the decision.

Twins To Place Miguel Sano On 10-Day Disabled List

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Miguel Sano won’t join the Twins on their upcoming road trip and he is headed to the 10-day DL due to a stress reaction in his left shin, the slugger told reporters (including Chad Graff of the St. Paul Pioneer Press).  No move has yet been announced by the team, though Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press reports that Kennys Vargas was removed from the Triple-A lineup today and will replace Sano on Minnesota’s 25-man roster.

Sano fouled a ball off his shin on Friday, and then left Saturday’s game early due to continued soreness (the Twins used Sano as the DH on Saturday to limit his time on his feet).  The seriousness of Sano’s injury or a timetable for his return isn’t yet known.

Going without Sano’s bat for even the minimum 10 days is a blow to a Twins team that is thick in the midst of the AL wild card hunt, plus still with an outside shot at catching the Indians for first place in the AL Central.  Sano is hitting .267/.356/.514 with 27 homers through 475 plate appearances, seemingly making the breakout from blue chip prospect to established big league hitter.  While he’s had some good fortune in the form of a .379 BABIP and there is still a lot of swing-and-miss in Sano’s approach (a league-high 170 strikeouts), he makes little mistake when he does make contact — his 45.3% hard-hit ball rate ranks fifth among all qualified hitters in baseball this season.

Vargas will be called up to handle DH duties or perhaps spell Joe Mauer at first base, while Sano’s customary spot at third base will likely be filled by Eduardo Escobar and Ehire Adrianza.  Needless to say, that’s a big dropoff in production for a Twins team that is already just middle-of-the-pack in most offensive categories, so clearly Minnesota needs Sano back soon if the team is to continue its surprising push towards a playoff spot.

Dodgers Claim Jordan Jankowski From Astros

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The Dodgers have claimed right-hander Jordan Jankowski off waivers from the Astros, per an announcement from Los Angeles. The hurler had been in limbo since the Astros designated him for assignment this past Monday.

[Updated Dodgers Depth Chart]

A 34th-round pick of the Astros in 2012, Jankowski made his major league debut earlier this year and fared poorly across 4 1/3 innings, surrendering six earned runs on seven hits and two walks, with five strikeouts. Jankowski hasn’t produced great results in 40 1/3 Triple-A frames this season, either, with a 5.13 ERA, 5.13 BB/9 and a 36.8 percent ground-ball rate. The 28-year-old has averaged nearly 12 strikeouts per nine at that level this season, however, adding to his impressive bat-missing history in the minors. In 174 1/3 lifetime Triple-A innings, Jankowski has fanned exactly 12 hitters per nine, against 4.5 BB/9, and posted a 3.87 ERA.

Jankowski, who has three minor league options remaining, will report to the Dodgers’ Triple-A affiliate in Oklahoma City.

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