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Reds Designate Heath Hembree For Assignment

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The Reds have designated right-hander Heath Hembree for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster for fellow right-hander Tony Santillan, who has been recalled from Triple-A Louisville, per a team announcement. Cincinnati also reinstated right-hander R.J. Alaniz from the injured list and optioned him to Triple-A. Meanwhile, the Reds announced earlier in the day that infielder Mike Freeman cleared waivers and has been assigned outright to Louisville.

Hembree’s DFA comes on the heels of a catastrophic outing in which he was tagged for five runs in just two-thirds of an inning. The Reds might’ve been able to look past that meltdown had he continued pitching as well as he did throughout the month of July, but the past several weeks have been a struggle for the veteran Hembree, to say the least. He’s yielded runs in seven of his past nine outings — a total of 13 in a span of just seven innings.

That dismal slump has ballooned Hembree’s ERA to a grisly 6.38 mark, but Hembree has previously been more solid out of the Cincinnati ’pen and spent several weeks pitching quite well as their primary closer while top relievers Tejay Antone, Michael Lorenzen and Lucas Sims were on the injured list. (Antone is still on the IL.) Hembree logged seven saves and posted a 1.42 ERA with a 19-to-5 K/BB ratio from June 28 through July 24. He’d had some early struggles as well, but that strong stretch dropped his ERA into the low-4.00s and gave the impression he’d righted the ship.

Clearly, that wasn’t the case, but there’s still plenty of reason that another club might be intrigued by Hembree. Among the 321 pitchers who have thrown at least 40 innings this year, Hembree’s 38 percent strikeout rate is the game’s seventh-highest mark. He’s tied for 15th in that same set of pitchers with a 27.4 K-BB% and sits 18th with a 2.84 SIERA.

Hembree has been done in by a ghastly 51.3 percent strand rate that sits more than 20 percent worse than the league average. That’s in part due to a sky-high 2.13 HR/9 mark; he’s yielded 10 long balls in his 44 2/3 innings this season, although seven of them have come in his hitter-friendly home park. Another club with a more spacious home setting might take a look at Hembree’s K-BB profile and generally solid track record from 2015-19 and opt to place a claim on outright waivers. His contract comes with a very reasonable $800K base salary in the Majors, though he’s already unlocked another $225K of incentives on top of that base, I’m told. Hembree would be an affordable change-of-scenery candidate for a team in need of bullpen depth — be it on a waiver claim or on a new contract if goes unclaimed and reaches the market.

Brewers Sign Connor Sadzeck

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The Brewers signed reliever Connor Sadzeck to a minor league contract last week (h/t to Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America). The 29-year-old has been assigned to Triple-A Nashville, where he made his first appearance last Friday.

Sadzeck was once one of the more promising pitching prospects in the Rangers organization, where he made his big league debut in 2018. Texas traded the right-hander to the Mariners the following year, where he pitched fairly well but wound up ending that season on the injured list with elbow trouble. Between the two clubs, Sadzeck posted a 2.18 ERA over 33 innings but walked a highly alarming 17.1% of batters faced.

Signed to a minors deal by the White Sox over the winter, Sadzeck spent most of this year with their top affiliate in Charlotte. Over 27 2/3 frames, he pitched to a 5.86 ERA while continuing to struggle with his control, doling out free passes at a 15.5% clip. Chicago released him shortly after the trade deadline. During his big league action, Sadzeck worked in the mid-high 90’s, so the Brewers took a no-risk flier on a live arm to serve as high minors bullpen depth.

Tigers Release Buck Farmer

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The Tigers announced they’ve placed right-hander Buck Farmer on unconditional release waivers. Upon clearing the waiver wire, he’ll become a free agent. Farmer was designated for assignment over the weekend.

The move brings to an end Farmer’s eight-year tenure with the Tigers. Selected in the fifth round of the 2013 draft, Farmer pitched his way to the big leagues by the end of the 2014 campaign. He’s spent a good portion of the past seven years in the Detroit bullpen, often working as a multi-inning option for Tigers managers in addition to a brief look in the rotation in 2017.

While Farmer struggled over his first few seasons, he settled in as a decent middle innings option by 2018. Between 2018-20, Farmer pitched to a 3.92 ERA/4.20 FIP over 158 1/3 frames of relief. He’s struggled mightily this season, though, managing just a 6.37 ERA in 35 1/3 innings. Farmer’s walk rate has spiked to an untenable 12.3% and he’s been tagged for nine home runs (2.29 HR/9).

Farmer signed a $1.85MM contract to avoid arbitration over the winter. The Tigers will remain on the hook for that salary, with any team that signs Farmer owing him just the prorated portion of the league minimum for any time he spends in the big leagues. Given his decent track record coming into the year, the 30-year-old shouldn’t have trouble latching on elsewhere via minor league deal.

Rays Select Shawn Armstrong

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The Rays announced they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Shawn Armstrong. Infielder Mike Brosseau was optioned to Triple-A Durham in a corresponding move. To create space on the 40-man roster, Tampa Bay designated infielder Kevin Padlo for assignment.

The Rays added Armstrong from the Orioles for cash considerations just before the trade deadline. While he began the year on Baltimore’s big league roster, he was passed through outright waivers in July. Because of that, the Rays didn’t need to place Armstrong on the 40-man roster at the time of the trade, but they’ve elected to add him a few weeks later as they continue to shuffle around a tired relief corps.

Armstrong made twenty appearances with the O’s earlier this year. He was tagged for twenty runs in as many innings out of the bullpen, thanks largely to the five home runs he surrendered. That said, he also generated swinging strikes at a quality 13% clip and allowed only three earned runs over fifteen frames with Baltimore last season.

The 30-year-old Armstrong has had a solid season at Triple-A. Between the two teams’ top affiliates, he’s posted a 3.57 ERA with a quality 27.2% strikeout rate and a lower than average 6.8% walk percentage. That high minors work has earned him another look at the highest level. Armstrong is out of minor league options, so the Rays will need to keep him on the active roster from here on out or place him back on waivers.

The Rays’ tinkering on the pitching staff costs Padlo his spot on the 40-man roster. The 25-year-old has picked up his first fourteen big league plate appearances this year but has spent the rest of the season with Durham. It’s been a miserable year there for Padlo, who’s hitting just .194/.270/.379 across 282 plate appearances.

Those struggles are new for Padlo, who had a fantastic 2019 season in the high minors. The right-handed hitter showed enough power and patience to offset lofty strikeout totals, hitting .265/.389/.538 between Double-A and Triple-A. That earned him a place on the 40-man roster that winter, but he’ll lose his spot amidst his struggles this season. Padlo will be placed on waivers over the coming days.

Dodgers Sign Shane Greene To Major League Deal

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11:30 am: Los Angeles is indeed signing Greene to a major league contract, reports Fabian Ardaya of the Athletic (on Twitter).

11:12 am: The Dodgers are nearing agreement with free agent reliever Shane Greene on a major league contract, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com (Twitter link). The 32-year-old was released by the Braves over the weekend. Greene is represented by the Ballengee Group.

Despite quality work between 2019-20, Greene remained on the free agent market over the entirety of last offseason. That was a bit surprising but perhaps explainable by the difference in the right-hander’s run prevention numbers and peripherals. Greene pitched to an elite 2.39 ERA across 90 1/3 innings between those two seasons, but that came with a slightly below-average 23.5% strikeout rate. The disconnect is even more stark when looking at 2020 alone; his ERA was a still-great 2.60, but his strikeout percentage dipped to 19.3%. Teams clearly seemed reluctant to buy into Greene as a high-end late innings option despite his success keeping runs off the board.

The 2021 season has been a disaster no matter which metric one uses to evaluate pitcher performance. Signed to a big league deal by Atlanta in May, Greene was called up in early June after spending a few weeks in Triple-A to build up arm strength. He tossed seventeen innings for the Braves but was tagged for sixteen runs (an 8.47 ERA) on 22 hits, including five homers. Greene’s 20.5% strikeout rate and 10.8% walk percentage aren’t too different from last season’s marks, but he’s seen his groundball rate fall to a career-low 30.4% and served up far too much hard contact.

Clearly, the Dodgers feel his horrible 2021 numbers to date don’t reflect that Greene’s ability to be effective has disappeared. It’s a rather limited amount of time for a pitcher who had a multi-year track record of success before this season. Greene didn’t have a typical offseason ramp-up period because of his protracted stay in free agency. Perhaps most importantly, the velocity and spin on his sinker and cutter are nearly identical between 2020 and 2021. With his raw stuff still intact, Greene could be primed for a bounceback under a new coaching staff and environment in L.A.

There’s no financial risk for the Dodgers in taking that chance. The Braves will remain on the hook for the bulk of Greene’s prorated $1.5MM salary, with the Dodgers paying the veteran just the prorated league minimum for the stretch run (which will be subtracted from Atlanta’s payroll). The 32-year-old will hit the open market again at the end of the season.

Braves Reinstate Huascar Ynoa From Injured List

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The Braves announced this morning they’ve activated Huascar Ynoa from the 60-day injured list. He’ll start this evening’s game against the Marlins. Reliever Jacob Webb was optioned to Triple-A Gwinnett last night to create an active roster spot. Atlanta already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster to accommodate Ynoa’s reinstatement.

Ynoa struggled over his limited big league time between 2019-20, but he looked to be amidst a breakout campaign earlier this season. Over nine appearances (eight starts), Ynoa tossed 44 2/3 innings of 3.02 ERA ball. The right-hander backed that up with a strong 27.9% strikeout rate, a lofty 13.3% swinging strike rate and a lower than average 6.1% walk percentage. The 23-year-old benefitted from an elevated strand rate and a low opponents’ batting average on balls in play — meaning he wasn’t likely to sustain an ERA at or below 3.00 — but he looked like a good bet for continued mid-rotation production.

However, Ynoa was tagged for five runs over 4 1/3 innings against the Brewers on May 16, his second-worst outing of the season. He punched the dugout in frustration after coming out of that game and fractured his throwing hand. That wound up requiring a three-month stay on the injured list.

It’s surely a decision Ynoa wishes he could have back, but he’s making his return at an opportune time. The Braves have been on a tear of late, winning eleven of fourteen this month. After hovering at or just below .500 for the entire season, Atlanta’s gone on their best run of the year to jump to the top of the National League East at 63-56. The Braves lead the Phillies by a game and a half and hold a three and a half game advantage over the Mets.

Yankees Activate Jordan Montgomery, Gary Sanchez

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8:58 am: Indeed, the Yankees announced this morning they’ve activated Montgomery and Sánchez from the injured list. Luis Gil has also been recalled as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader.

8:20 am: The Yankees announced last night they’ve returned reliever Stephen Ridings and catcher Rob Brantly to Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre. Both players were selected to the big league roster as replacements for players who had tested positive for COVID-19, so they could removed from the active and 40-man rosters without being exposed to waivers.

While New York has yet to formally announce corresponding roster moves, it’s apparent they’re made with the intention of activating left-hander Jordan Montgomery and catcher Gary Sánchez from the COVID-19 injured list before today’s doubleheader against the Red Sox. New York had already indicated Montgomery would get the ball for one half of the twin bill. It was less clear whether Sánchez would be ready to return today, but Brantly’s removal leaves Kyle Higashioka as the only catcher on the big league roster — suggesting Sánchez will indeed make it back onto the field this afternoon.

Ridings was selected two weeks ago and has made his first five MLB appearances this year. He allowed two runs over five frames, punching out seven while issuing a pair of walks. Ridings averaged a huge 97.2 MPH on his sinker and generated swinging strikes on a fantastic 18.9% of his offerings during his brief big league time. Between that impressive showing and his ludicrous minor league numbers this season — a 1.24 ERA with a 38.2% strikeout rate split between Double-A and Triple-A — the 26-year-old figures to get another MLB look before long.

Brantly has come up as a COVID replacement on two separate occasions, tallying 21 plate appearances in a backup role. He’s had a very good season with the RailRiders, hitting .286/.397/.496 over 141 plate appearances.

The Yankees are moving closer to returning to full strength after the recent spread of the coronavirus throughout their clubhouse. Assuming Montgomery and Sánchez are activated today, that’ll leave just Anthony Rizzo and Clay Holmes on the COVID IL. It’s an opportune time for New York to get two key players back, as the Yankees kick off a three-game set against their archrivals in Boston, whom they trail by two games in the American League Wild Card race (with the A’s 1.5 games up on New York for the final AL postseason spot).

Orioles Release Stevie Wilkerson

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The Orioles have released utilityman Stevie Wilkerson, the club informed reporters (including Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball). He’d been with their Triple-A affiliate in Norfolk after being passed through outright waivers last month.

The move ends Wilkerson’s seven-year tenure in the O’s organization, which began when he was selected in the eighth round of the 2014 draft. Wilkerson reached the big leagues in 2018 and appeared in parts of three MLB seasons with Baltimore. Altogether, the switch-hitter tallied 486 plate appearances as an Oriole and put up a .210/.268/.340 line with ten home runs, with the bulk of that playing time coming in 2019.

Wilkerson’s calling card is his defensive versatility. The 29-year-old has started games at second and third base and in all three outfield positions. He’ll now hit the free agent market in search of a new organization, where teams looking to add to their position player depth could bring Wilkerson aboard via minor league contract.

Dodgers’ Cole Hamels Out For Season With Shoulder Injury

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9:39 pm: Hamels felt shoulder pain during a recent simulated game, reports Jon Heyman of MLB Network (Twitter link).

9:17 pm: The Dodgers announced they’ve selected the contract of veteran reliever Neftalí Féliz. To create space on the 40-man roster, they placed left-hander Cole Hamels on the 60-day injured list. The move ends Hamels’ season before he could make an official appearance. Hamels recently suffered some form of arm injury, reports Bob Nightengale of USA Today (Twitter link).

Additionally, Los Angeles recalled right-handed pitching prospect Andre Jackson to make his major league debut. Jackson was selected to the 40-man roster over the offseason to keep him from being taken in the Rule 5 draft, so no corresponding move was needed in that regard. To open active roster space, Darien Núñez and Edwin Uceta were optioned to Triple-A Oklahoma City.

Hamels missed almost all of last season with the Braves dealing with triceps and shoulder issues. He stayed on the free agent market for the entire offseason and the first half of the 2021 campaign before conducting a showcase in mid-July. That led to a one-year, $1MM deal with the Dodgers two weeks ago, with the hope that Hamels could build up as a late-season rotation option for Los Angeles. Unfortunately, he’s now dealing with another injury that’ll keep him from taking the mound in 2021.

There’ll surely be forthcoming updates on Hamels’ specific diagnosis and outlook. It’s not clear whether this latest issue stands to affect his readiness for the 2022 campaign. The 37-year-old will again hit free agency at the end of the season, and he’ll surely need to conduct another showcase for teams if he’s able and decides to pursue opportunities this winter.

What is clear is that Hamels’ setback will remove another potential starting pitching option for the Dodgers down the stretch. Los Angeles trails the Giants by four games in the NL West, and they were already without Clayton Kershaw, Julio Urías, Danny Duffy and Tony Gonsolin due to injury (as well as Dustin May, who underwent Tommy John surgery in May). Kershaw, notably, did play catch today for the first time since being shut down due to forearm soreness (via Juan Toribio of MLB.com), although he’s still not expected back until September.

Féliz is back in the majors for the second time this season. The former All-Star appeared in two games for the Phillies in late June, his first big league action in four years. Féliz was tagged for four runs in an inning of work with Philadelphia before being let go. The 33-year-old latched on with the Dodgers on a minor league deal shortly thereafter.

The veteran righty has spent the past six weeks at Oklahoma City, pitching his way back to the bigs with a 3.38 ERA across 18 2/3 innings. That’s a continuation of the stellar work he logged at the minors’ highest level with the Phillies’ affiliate in Lehigh Valley. Between the two organizations, Féliz has a 2.45 ERA in Triple-A with a huge 38.8% strikeout rate and an average 9.7% walk percentage.

Jackson, meanwhile, is one of the better pitching prospects in the Dodgers’ system. He fell to the twelfth round in the 2017 draft after undergoing Tommy John surgery during his final season at the University of Utah, where he spent more time as an outfielder than he did on the mound. The righty made his professional debut the following year and struggled with his control, but he had a breakout 2019 season split between two levels of A-ball.

Each of Baseball America, Keith Law of the Athletic and Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs slotted Jackson among the Dodgers’ top fifteen minor leaguers either before or during the 2021 season. Evaluators praise his four-pitch mix and athleticism, with a general expectation he’ll continue to improve due to his relative lack of experience as a pitcher.

The 24-year-old has spent most of the year with Double-A Tulsa, pitching to 3.27 ERA across 63 1/3 innings. Jackson punched out a strong 29.6% of opponents while walking a career-low 7.9% of batters faced to earn his first big league call.

Outrighted: Hurst, Paulino, Morimando

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A trio of players have been passed through outright waivers:

  • Cardinals outfielder Scott Hurst will remain at Triple-A Memphis after he cleared waivers. Hurst made his first five big league plate appearances in April but he’s spent the past few months with Memphis. It’s been a difficult season for the lefty-hitting Hurst, who has just a .186/.289/.270 line over 251 plate appearances with the Redbirds.
  • The Phillies have sent right-hander David Paulino to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. The former Astro and Blue Jay was selected to Philadelphia’s big league club last week. He got into a major league game for the first time since 2018, allowing two runs in as many innings during a loss to the Reds before being designated for assignment. The 27-year-old Paulino has spent the bulk of the year with the IronPigs, working to a 4.35 ERA over 51 2/3 innings.
  • Marlins left-hander Shawn Morimando has been outrighted to Triple-A Jacksonville, according to the MLB.com transactions tracker. He has the right to elect free agency but has seemingly accepted the assignment, as he’s listed on the Jumbo Shrimp active roster. That’s not especially surprising, as Morimando had twice previously accepted outright assignments after being waived earlier in the year. The 28-year-old southpaw has a 9.58 ERA over 10 1/3 innings with the Fish this season.
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