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Brewers Activate Christian Yelich From COVID List

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The Brewers have activated outfielder Christian Yelich from the COVID-19 injury list, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel).  Yelich isn’t starting today’s game but is available off the bench, Counsell said.

Unfortunately for the Brewers, right-hander Adrian Houser was officially placed on the COVID list today, as was expected after the righty’s positive test yesterday.  Houser now joins Josh Hader, Eric Lauer, Keston Hiura, Jandel Gustave, Hunter Strickland, and Jake Cousins as Milwaukee players on the COVID list, as the club continues to deal with an outbreak within the clubhouse.  Yelich tested positive for the virus and was placed on the COVID-IL on July 27, so he’ll return after a pretty minimal stint, even if he isn’t immediately getting back into regular duty for the Brewers.

Between this absence and two stints on the regular injured list due to back problems, Yelich has appeared in only 67 games this season, and hit a modest .235/.382/.367 in 275 plate appearances.  While still above-average (104 OPS+, 108 wRC+) production, it certainly isn’t what was expected from the former NL MVP, even if the Brewers have surged into first place in the NL Central with only average hitting numbers overall.  A return to form from Yelich could be the spark Milwaukee needs to cement itself as a World Series contender, though the first order of business is simply to get everyone recovered from the COVID outbreak.

Phillies Acquire T.J. Rivera

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The Phillies have acquired infielder T.J. Rivera in a minor league trade with the Pirates.  Because Rivera was playing on a minor league deal and hadn’t seen any MLB action this year, he was allowed to be dealt after the July 30 trade deadline.

The trade represents Rivera’s second stint in the Phils organization, as he signed a minor league deal with Philadelphia during the 2019-20 offseason but was released prior to the opening of the club’s 2020 summer camp.  Rivera caught on with the independent Long Island Ducks back in May, but was quickly inked to a minors contract by the Pirates and he has since hit .249/.295/.389 over 212 PA for Triple-A Indianapolis.

Rivera’s big league resume consists over 106 games and 344 PA with the Mets in 2016-17, with the Bronx native delivering a very respectable .304/.335/.445 slash line in that rather brief amount of playing time.  Rivera underwent Tommy John surgery in September 2017, however, and continued to face elbow problems before the Mets eventually released him in 2019.

Pirates Designate Erik Gonzalez, Select Anthony Alford

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4:03PM: The Pirates have also released outfielder Dustin Fowler.  Pittsburgh acquired Fowler in a trade with the A’s during the winter, and the outfielder posted a .434 OPS in 46 PA, marking Fowler’s first bit of big league action since the 2018 season.  Fowler was outrighted to Triple-A in April and has since battled injuries for much of the season.

3:18PM: The Pirates selected the contract of outfielder Anthony Alford from Triple-A.  In corresponding moves, Phillip Evans was optioned to Triple-A Indianapolis, while utilityman Erik Gonzalez was designated for assignment (Gonzalez had been on the injured list, and was reinstated before being DFA’ed).

Gonzalez has been out of action since July 2 due to a left oblique strain, and he had been wrapping up a minor league rehab assignment in Triple-A.  Now, the 29-year-old could be potentially headed elsewhere after two-plus seasons with the Bucs.  Gonzalez has been utilized all over the diamond in his 174 games in a Pittsburgh uniform, but hasn’t hit much, batting only .236/.268/.324 over 578 plate appearances since the start of the 2019 season.

While Gonzalez could remain in the organization after clearing waivers, it seems likely that the rebuilding Pirates want to give more big league playing time to less-experienced players like Alford.  The former top prospect isn’t young (he just recently turned 27) but he has yet to earn a long look at the MLB level, appearing in each of the last five seasons but totaling only 62 games.

The Pirates claimed Alford off the Blue Jays roster in August 2020 but the change of scenery hasn’t unlocked anything for the outfielder, who has a .540 OPS in the small sample size of 42 PA with Pittsburgh.  At Triple-A, however, Alford has been red hot, hitting .307/.420/.593 with 14 home runs over 226 PA for Indianapolis.

Minor MLB Transactions: 8/7/21

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The latest minor moves from around the baseball world…

  • The Giants outrighted left-hander Conner Menez to Triple-A, NBC Sports Bay Area’s Alex Pavlovic tweets.  Menez cleared waivers after being designated for assignment earlier this week.  The southpaw has seen action in each of the last three big league seasons, posting a 4.04 ERA over 42 1/3 career innings.  He’ll now remain in the organization as an extra arm, though the Giants bullpen is already pretty deep in left-handed pitching options.

Blue Jays Place Tim Mayza On 10-Day Injured List, Option Ryan Borucki

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The Blue Jays placed southpaw Tim Mayza on the 10-day injured list due to left elbow inflammation, the team announced.  Left-hander Ryan Borucki was also optioned to Triple-A, and lefty Kirby Snead and right-hander Patrick Murphy were recalled from Triple-A to fill the open two roster spots.

With Mayza now sidelined, The Athletic’s Kaitlyn McGrath notes the somewhat amazing fact that every member of the Jays’ opening day pitching staff has been optioned, released, or placed on the IL at some point this season. Despite zero pitchers who have been effective and healthy for the entire season, the Jays are now just 6.5 games out of first and 2.5 games out of a wild card spot.

Mayza has been that source of reliability out of the pen for the Jays, however, with a 3.75 ERA/3.08 FIP in 36 innings spanning 44 games. He’s particularly effective against same-handed hitters, who are slashing just .207/.246/.207 against him.

Snead, 26, will try to take on some of Mayza’s responsibilities in his absence. Snead has just two big league appearances, though he’s pitched to a 1.89 ERA in 33 1/3 innings in Triple-A this season.

Borucki might have taken on some of that workload, but he’s struggled to a 5.12 ERA/5.18 FIP across 20 outings. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in yesterday’s game against the Red Sox.

Murphy, 26, has been a name floating around recently as a guy who could be a difference-maker out of the Jays’ pen. The right-hander owns a microscopic 1.00 ERA in Triple-A across 13 innings of work. He has seven appearances with the big league club, the last one coming on July 28th when he tossed one scoreless inning of relief.

Angels Claim Chad Wallach Off Waivers From Dodgers

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The Angels have claimed catcher Chad Wallach off waivers from the Dodgers and optioned him to Triple-A, per the team. In a corresponding move, Anthony Bemboom has been designated for assignment.

Wallach never appeared with the Dodgers in the Majors after being claimed off waivers from the Marlins. The Dodgers had hoped Wallach could serve as backstop insurance for Will Smith and Austin Barnes after the deadline departure of Keibert Ruiz. Still, he was only an extra man for the Dodgers, who still have Tim Federowicz in the organization as their presumptive third catcher.

As for Wallach, he heads to the Angels, where he will slot in behind Kurt Suzuki and Max Stassi in the depth chart. Most of Wallach’s Major League playing time came with the Marlins over the last four seasons, though he did make his debut with the Reds back in 2017. In total, he owns a .207/.271/.303 line across 231 plate appearances.

As for Bemboom, the 31-year-old heads to the waiver wire. While his success in the bigs has been fleeting — from an offensive standpoint — he’s having a nice year at Triple-A this season, slashing .255/.364/.482 in 165 trips to the plate.

Padres Claim Shaun Anderson Off Waivers From Orioles

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The Padres claimed right-hander Shaun Anderson off waivers from the Orioles today, both teams announced. The Padres optioned the right-hander to Triple-A El Paso.

Anderson’s time with the Orioles was brief, as he made just seven appearances totalling 10 innings after being claimed off waivers from the Twins. Anderson surrendered 10 earned runs on 17 hits and five walks while striking out seven. He’ll provide depth for the Padres, whose pitching staff has struggled to stay healthy this season.

As for the Orioles, they made a number of their own roster moves today, reinstating Ryan Hartman from the injured list, recalling Isaac Mattson, and designating Conner Greene for assignment. Greene, 26, made just three appearances for the O’s, yielding six earned runs in 3 2/3 innings.

East Notes: Red Sox, Martinez, Houck, Rays, McHugh, Phillies, Anderson

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The Red Sox have placed designated hitter J.D. Martinez on the COVID-related injured list today after he wasn’t feeling well, per Pete Abraham of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). Martinez joins centerfielder Jarren Duran as players recently placed on the COVID-related IL. Test results have not returned for either Martinez or Duran, notes The Athletic’s Jen McCaffrey. Connor Wong has been added to the active roster in Martinez’s place.

  • Tanner Houck was also added to the roster to make a start in today’s doubleheader, notes Abraham. He will be their 27th man. Houck has a 2.45 ERA in 22 innings, which includes four starts and a pair of appearances out of the pen — his last start coming on July 28th. His Triple-A numbers haven’t been quite as good, but no matter where he’s pitched, he’s been striking out batters, owning a combined 31.3 percent strikeout rate on the year.
  • Elsewhere in the American League East, the Rays reinstated Collin McHugh from the injured list, optioning Louis Head to Triple-A, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Twitter). Head has been tremendous when active, tossing 20 innings with a 1.35 ERA/2.71 FIP. McHugh is no slouch himself, however, with a 1.51 ERA/1.36 FIP across 41 2/3 innings. Both right-handers have been able to fill a role as a multi-inning reliever for manager Kevin Cash.
  • In the National League, the Phillies placed Chase Anderson on the 10-day injured list with right triceps tendinitis, recalling Nick Maton from Triple-A, per the team. With a 6.75 ERA/5.85 FIP on the year, one would think that Anderson’s rotation spot would be up for grabs if his absence.The first-place Phillies won’t need to fill his rotation spot until next Saturday, notes The Athletic’s Matt Gelb (via Twitter).

Yankees Place Aroldis Chapman On 10-Day Injured List

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The Yankees have placed Aroldis Chapman on the 10-day injured list with left elbow inflammation, retroactive to yesterday, per the team. In a corresponding move, Nick Nelson has been recalled from Triple-A.

It hasn’t been Chapman’s best season on the whole, but he had seemed to figure some things out of late. He had posted seven consecutive scoreless outings going back to July 21st. In fact, since allowing nine earned runs across three outings at the end of June, Chapman has posted a 0.82 ERA over his last 11 innings.

Nelson, 25, has been burned for 14 earned runs across 13 1/3 innings in 10 appearances (2 starts) this season. He’s fared much better in Triple-A, however, where he owns a 3.50 ERA across 36 innings with 46 strikeouts to 18 walks.

With Chapman out, the Yankees will likely turn to Chad Green to close games. Green has three saves on the year to go with 15 holds and a 3.21 ERA/3.45 FIP in 56 innings of work. Alternatively, veteran Zack Britton has plenty of experience closing, and he does appear to be rounding himself into form with a 2.57 ERA over his past seven outings. Jonathan Loaisiga also has three saves this season with a 2.53 ERA and 13 holds.

COVID Notes: Brewers, Diamondbacks, Protocols

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The latest on COVID-19 around the league:

  • The Brewers have been dealing with virus spread throughout the clubhouse in recent days, and another pair of players has tested positive. Starter Adrian Houser and reliever Jandel Gustave tested positive and were placed on the COVID IL, manager Craig Counsell told reporters (including Todd Rosiak of the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel). They join Josh Hader, Hunter Strickland, Eric Lauer, Jake Cousins, Keston Hiura and Christian Yelich on the COVID list. Yelich was cleared to return to the club today, but Milwaukee has elected to hold off on activating him for now as the star outfielder works his way back into game shape following a ten-day absence.
  • The Diamondbacks have also been hit by COVID spread recently, but they got one of their players back today. Reliever Joe Mantiply, who had been out as a close contact of a player(s) who tested positive, was reinstated from the IL before this evening’s game against the Padres. Fellow southpaw Ryan Buchter, who was selected last week, was removed from the 40-man roster and returned to Triple-A Reno. As a COVID replacement, Buchter could be reassigned to the minor leagues without needing to pass through waivers.
  • The recent uptick in viral spread (the Rockies and Yankees have each had similar issues recently) in both the league and the United States as a whole has caught the attention of MLB and the Players Association. After relaxing restrictions for vaccinated players and staff in mid-June, MLB is considering tightening protocols, reports Evan Drellich of the Athletic. The league updated its mask policy at Spring Training facilities this week, requiring those working at the facilities to wear masks in indoor areas regardless of vaccination status, Drellich writes. It seems MLB would prefer to tighten mask and distancing protocols rather than “aggressively” incentivize further vaccination among players and staff. Drellich writes that 85.5% of Tier 1 personnel leaguewide (players, coaches and other staff members in direct contact with the team) have been vaccinated.
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