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Mets Place J.D. Davis On 10-Day IL, Designate Albert Almora

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The Mets announced a trio of roster moves prior to today’s game, including the placement of third baseman J.D. Davis on the 10-day injured list due to a left hand sprain.  The placement is retroactive to September 23, but Davis’ 2021 season seems in all likelihood to be over.  In corresponding roster moves, New York activated righty Sean Reid-Foley from the 60-day injured list, and designated outfielder Albert Almora for assignment.

This marks the fourth time this season that Davis has had to spend time on the IL due to his bothersome left hand, and as a result, Davis made only 211 plate appearances over 73 games.  Davis has also been in a rough slump for over a month, which further reduced his playing time since Jonathan Villar (who ended up getting the bulk of third base playing time during Davis’ IL stints) became the top choice at the hot corner.

Despite his late slump, Davis will still finish with very strong numbers during his abbreviated season.  The 28-year-old has hit .285/.384/.436 with five homers over 211 PA, good for a 126 OPS+ and 130 wRC+.  This essentially matches Davis’ overall slash line in a Mets uniform, since he has done nothing but hit since being acquired from the Astros prior to the 2019 season.

While hitting production hasn’t been an issue, Davis’ glovework as a third baseman and left fielder has been subpar, at times making him something of an odd man out as New York has tried to figure out to best deploy its roster.  The Mets will face plenty of question marks in their infield this winter, and since they have already dangled Davis in trade talks, the club might be ready to move on.  With three years of arbitration control remaining and those strong numbers at the plate, Davis would certainly draw some attention as a very interesting trade chip as the Mets look to upgrade the roster.

Known as a defensive specialist during his time with the Cubs, Almora was signed to a one-year, $1.25MM deal to provide some depth for the Mets outfield.  As it turned out, Almora was pretty average with the glovework, he spent over five weeks on the injured list with shoulder problems, and his .321 OPS over 54 PA resulted in a minus-9 wRC+ and minus-11 OPS+.  Since the start of the 2019 season, Almora has hit only .216/.256/.342 in 451 plate appearances, and he’ll surely have to settle for a minor league deal if he catches on with another club in the offseason.

Reid-Foley hasn’t pitched since June 30 due to right elbow inflammation.  Between this long injury absence and several shuttles back and forth from Triple-A earlier in the season, Reid-Foley has tossed 20 2/3 innings (with a 5.23 ERA) in his first season with the Mets.

NL Roster Notes: Braves, Pirates, Dodgers

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Let’s check in on some roster moves filed before today’s slate of afternoon games…

  • The Braves activated Touki Toussaint from the bereavement list and optioned the right-hander to Triple-A, the team announced. Toussaint could still prove useful in the Braves’ push for the postseason. A playoff role would likely have to come out of the bullpen, however. The 25-year-old logged 50 innings with a 4.50 ERA/5.79 FIP.
  • The Pirates have reinstated David Bednar from the 10-day injured list and optioned Kyle Keller to Triple-A to create the open roster spot, per the team. Bednar has put together a solid season out of the Pirates’ bullpen, establishing himself as a high leverage arm for the Pirates with a 2.18 ERA/2.70 FIP over 57 2/3 appearances, chipping in three saves and 11 holds.
  • The Dodgers recalled southpaw Andrew Vasquez and optioned outfielder Luke Raley, the team announced. Vasquez has made just two appearances for the Dodgers this season, tossing 1 2/3 scoreless innings after being acquired from the Twins at the August 31 deadline to trade players not on the 40-man roster. Raley has a .182/.250/.288 line in 72 plate appearances.

 

Angels Place Jaime Barria On 10-Day Injured List

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The Angels announced a pair of interlocking roster moves today. Jaime Barria has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right shoulder impingement, and Sam Selman has been recalled from Triple-A, per the team.

Barria’s season ends after 56 2/3 innings, 11 starts, and a pair of relief appearances. There is at least some hope that Barria will emerge as a rotation candidate next season, though that’s not at all a guarantee for the 25-year-old. He posted a 4.61 ERA/4.88 FIP this season with a too-low 14.0 percent strikeout rate, solid 7.6 percent walk rate, and better-than-average 43.8 percent groundball rate.

Selman returns for another stint in manager Joe Maddon’s bullpen. The 30-year-old has made 21 appearances this season, struggling to a 6.65 ERA/5.14 FIP. Selman joined the Angels earlier this season from San Francisco as part of the Tony Watson trade.

Astros Activate Jake Odorizzi, Option Seth Martinez

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The Astros activated Jake Odorizzi to start today’s game against the A’s. To clear a roster spot, Seth Martinez has been optioned to Triple-A, per Jake Kaplan of the Athletic (via Twitter).

Odorizzi’s postseason role is not yet clear, but he can nonetheless provide value here in the waning days of the regular season. He should have two more starts to audition for playoff usage. The 31-year-old has tossed 96 innings with a 4.22 ERA/4.60 FIP, 21.3 percent strikeout rate, 7.7 percent walk rate, and 35.8 percent groundball rate.

Though the Astros have lost three in a row, they should clinch the AL West sometime in the next couple of days. They could clinch as early as today with a win over the A’s and a Mariners loss. Houston can begin to think ahead to setting up their playoff rotation for an ALDS showdown with the White Sox.

Martinez, 27, had just a cup of coffee, making three appearances this past week. After a pair of scoreless outings, Martinez was tagged for five earned runs his last time out against Oakland on Friday.

White Sox Place Brian Goodwin On 10-Day Injured List

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The White Sox placed outfielder Brian Goodwin on the 10-day injured list with lower back spasms and recalled righty Matt Foster to take his roster spot, per the team.

Goodwin has played all three outfield positions for the White Sox and served as a valuable fill-in at times. On the whole, Goodwin’s .221/.319/.374 line across 271 plate appearances hardly inspires much confidence heading into the postseason, however. It’s not clear if Goodwin was going to earn a roster spot for the playoffs, but he’s likely out of the running now. Chicago has Billy Hamilton, Adam Engel, and Leury Garcia on the roster capable of backing up the starters in the outfield.

Foster can help keep arms fresh in the final week before the playoffs. With their playoff spot locked, the White Sox can use the next week to align their roster for a first round match-up with the Astros.

Phillies Select Hans Crouse, Designate Matt Joyce For Assignment

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The Phillies will select the contract of Hans Crouse to start today’s ballgame. In a corresponding move, outfielder Matt Joyce has been designated for assignment, per The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter).

The move is an interesting pivot for a Phillies club that can see the postseason within reach. As Gelb notes, Adonis Medina has been preparing to make this start, but the prospect Crouse will get an opportunity instead. Medina could still appear in the game as a follower, however.

Crouse came to the Phillies along with Kyle Gibson in the deadline deal with the Rangers. Crouse has made just one start in Triple-A, but he’ll get the call in one of the most important games of the year. The 23-year-old has a 3.28 ERA over 20 starts between Double-A and Triple-A. He’ll likely have a short leash in his Major League debut.

Joyce has been injured for much of the year, and at this point, his roster spot is better allocated elsewhere. The 37-year-old has been in the Majors since 2008, slashing .242/.342/425 in 1400 career games spanning 14 years.

Tigers Place Victor Reyes On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Zack Short

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The Tigers placed Victor Reyes on the 10-day injured list with a right groin strain, the team announced. Given the amount of time left in the season, Reyes’ year is done. In a corresponding move, Zack Short has been recalled from Triple-A.

Reyes, 26, has played well enough in the second half to put himself in the conversation for an outfield spot next year. Reyes has just an 88 wRC+ on the year, but he hit .325/.348/.516 across 134 plate appearances in the second half. He doesn’t walk enough (3.6 percent walk rate), nor does he offer much pop (.158 ISO), but he saw some growth in the latter category this season, and if he continues on that upward trajectory, he could find regular at-bats for a Detroit team on the rise.

Short has been back and forth from Toledo to Detroit a couple of times this season. The 26-year-old right-handed infielder hit .147/.239/.293 in 176 plate appearances with the Tigers. That’s not enough bat, obviously, though his positional flexibility and ability to handle shortstop will make him a roster candidate next season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 9/25/21

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The latest minor moves from around the league…

  • Orioles right-hander Cesar Valdez accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A after clearing waivers.  Valdez was designated for assignment earlier this week, and this is the second time in as many months that the 36-year-old has been outrighted.  (He had the option of choosing free agency, but Valdez instead decided to remain with the O’s.)  Home runs have been the biggest issue for Valdez this season, as his 5.87 ERA has been inflated by eight homers allowed over 46 innings out of Baltimore’s pen.

COVID Notes: 9/25/21

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The latest coronavirus-related moves from around baseball…

  • The Blue Jays placed right-hander Joakim Soria on the COVID-related injury list, and recalled left-hander Kirby Snead from Triple-A to fill Soria’s roster spot.  Acquired in a trade deadline deal with the Diamondbacks, Soria has an ungainly 7.88 ERA over eight innings in his brief time with the Jays, though that number was inflated by a nightmarish outing (four runs allowed without retiring a batter) against the A’s on September 4.

Reds Place Wade Miley On 10-Day Injured List

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The Reds placed left-hander Wade Miley on the 10-day injured list due to a neck strain, with the placement retroactive to September 22.  Southpaw Cionel Perez was called up from Triple-A to take Miley’s spot on the active roster.

Though the timing works out for Miley to make one more start before the season is over, it seems possible that the veteran lefty has thrown his last pitch of the 2021 season.  The Reds will need at least one replacement for Miley’s rotation spot in the short term, as Miley had been scheduled to start Monday’s game against the Pirates.

Miley has an 8.35 ERA over four starts and 18 1/3 innings in September, putting a sour finish on what has otherwise been a very solid season for the 34-year-old.  Miley has 3.37 ERA over 163 frames for Cincinnati, with a 49.4% grounder rate and an above-average walk rate to go along with a lot of soft contact.  Never a big strikeout pitcher, Miley has only an 18.1% strikeout rate this year, just about matching his career average.

After signing a two-year, $15MM free agent deal back in December 2019, Miley barely pitched in his first year with the Reds, as shoulder and groin injuries limited him to 14 1/3 innings in 2020.  This season’s nice bounce-back effort will now greatly increase the chances of Miley remaining in Cincinnati next year, as the Reds hold a $10MM club option ($1MM) buyout on Miley’s services for the 2022 campaign.

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