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Pirates Place Chad Kuhl On Covid List, Select Shea Spitzbarth

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The Pirates announced Monday that they’ve placed righty Chad Kuhl on the Covid-19-related injured list and selected the contract of right-hander Shea Spitzbarth in a corresponding move.

Kuhl, 28, tested positive for Covid-19, per the Pirates, so he’ll be sidelined a minimum of 10 days under this year’s health and safety protocols. The right-hander has been a serviceable back-end starter for the Bucs, pitching to a 4.43 ERA in 67 innings this year. However, he’s also averaged fewer than five innings per outing while posting sub-par strikeout and walk percentages (20.1 percent and 12.2 percent, respectively).

The 26-year-old Spitzbarth will make his MLB debut the first time he gets into a game with the Pirates. He’d spent his entire pro career with the Dodgers prior to the 2021 season, having joined the organization as a nondrafted free agent back in 2015. Generally speaking, he’s struggled in the upper minors — at least until the 2021 season. This year, Spitzbarth has pitched to a 1.41 ERA through 32 innings of relief work. Other metrics aren’t as bullish, as evidenced by a 4.42 FIP and 5.09 xFIP. Spitzbarth has benefited from a .202 average on balls in play and a 90.9 percent strand rate so far in Triple-A. Nevertheless, he’ll get his first look in the big leagues more than six years after first signing.

Also of note, manager Derek Shelton revealed to reporters that left-hander Steven Brault is expected to start tomorrow’s game for the Pirates (Twitter link via Mike Persak of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette). The 29-year-old Brault hasn’t pitched yet in 2021 owing to a forearm strain suffered late in Spring Training. At the time, it was announced that he’d be shut down at least a month and could miss as much as 12 weeks with the injury, but the timetable proved even lengthier than that.

Brault has spent the past several weeks on a minor league rehab assignment, pitching a total of 12 innings between Class-A and Triple-A as he’s begun to build up for a return to the Pirates. He’s tossed four innings in each of his past two outings, totaling 58 and 56 pitches in that pair of starts (and allowing just one earned run). He’s unlikely to jump from that point to 90-100 pitches in a single outing, but he could give the Pirates four or five innings if he’s reasonably efficient tomorrow.

Marlins Sign Bryan Mitchell

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The Marlins signed right-hander Bryan Mitchell to a minor league contract last week. He’s been assigned to Triple-A Jacksonville, where he made his first appearance over the weekend.

Mitchell pitched in the big leagues every year from 2014-18, spending the first four years with the Yankees before logging his most significant seasonal workload (73 innings) with the Padres in 2018. He flashed some intriguing raw stuff but generally struggled from a results perspective, managing a 5.15 ERA/5.20 SIERA across 171 1/3 cumulative innings. He hasn’t pitched in the majors since, bouncing between a few organizations on minor league deals.

The 30-year-old signed a non-roster pact with the Phillies over the offseason. He spent the year with Triple-A Lehigh Valley, tossing 28 1/3 frames of 6.04 ERA ball with worse than average strikeout and walk rates (15.7% and 12.6%, respectively). The Phils released him a couple weeks ago. Mitchell has worked exclusively out of the bullpen this season but has vast starting experience and offers the Marlins a high minors multi-inning relief/swing option for the stretch run.

Mariners Activate Jake Fraley, Claim Marcus Wilson Off Waivers

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The Mariners announced a series of roster moves this afternoon. Outfielder Jake Fraley has been activated from the COVID-19 injured list, while fellow outfielder Marcus Wilson was claimed off waivers from the Red Sox and optioned to Triple-A Tacoma. In corresponding moves, infielder Shed Long landed on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his right shin, while outfielder Dillon Thomas was designated for assignment.

Fraley tested positive for COVID on July 18, and he’s missed the past two weeks recuperating. Before that, the left-handed hitting outfielder was amidst a strong campaign. Fraley’s hitting .237/.409/.439 with seven home runs over 149 plate appearances. His returning to the field — and to that level of production — would be a critical boost for a Seattle team that finds itself 3.5 games back in the AL Wild Card race.

The Sox designated Wilson for assignment over the weekend to accommodate their trade deadline acquisitions. The 24-year-old has yet to make his big league debut but he’s been a prospect of some regard dating back to his time in the Diamondbacks organization. He has spent the year with Triple-A Worcester, hitting a strong .242/.370/.452 with ten homers across 265 trips to the plate, albeit with a concerning 33.2% strikeout rate. Wilson still has an additional minor league option year remaining beyond this season, so the M’s can move him between Seattle and Tacoma for the next year if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

The presence of a right shin injury is particularly concerning for Long, who suffered a stress fracture in the bone last year. That required surgery which kept him out of action until early June, and the area is again bothering him. Long has struggled between the injuries, hitting .198/.258/.360 in 34 games this season.

The roster shuffling costs Thomas his spot. The 28-year-old earned his first big league promotion in early June with a solid .273/.379/.458 performance at Tacoma. He’s only picked up nine plate appearances over four big league games, though, collecting one hit. Thomas will now find himself on outright waivers.

Rangers Claim DJ Peters Off Waivers From Dodgers

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The Rangers announced they’ve claimed outfielder DJ Peters off waivers from the Dodgers. Los Angeles had designated Peters for assignment over the weekend.

It’s not particularly surprising to see a team take a shot on Peters, who’s long been considered a prospect of some note. Peters’ combination of big power and enough athleticism to play a passable center field has long intrigued evaluators, even as swing-and-miss concerns have clouded his overall projection. Peters ran strikeout rates approaching or exceeding the 30% mark throughout his low minors tenure, although he hit for enough power to remain productive.

Peters played his way to the big leagues for the first time in 2021, picking up 34 plate appearances over 18 games. He’s otherwise spent the year with Triple-A Oklahoma City, where he’s had some uncharacteristic struggles. The 25-year-old is hitting just .233/.319/.372 with four homers across 204 plate appearances in a hitter-friendly environment, his first season of below-average production in the minors.

To his credit, Peters has actually cut his strikeout rate to its lowest level (28.4%) since his 2016 stint in rookie ball. He also still has an additional minor league option year beyond this season, so the Rangers have time to give Peters plenty of run at Triple-A Round Rock if he sticks on the 40-man roster. There’s no real downside for Texas in taking a flyer on a player with obvious physical gifts who was squeezed off Los Angeles’ deeper roster.

Mets To Claim Jake Reed Off Waivers From Rays

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The Mets are claiming reliever Jake Reed off waivers from the Rays, reports Anthony DiComo of MLB.com (Twitter link). Tampa Bay designated the right-hander for assignment over the weekend.

Reed’s time with the Rays was extremely brief, consisting of just a single appearance with Triple-A Durham. Prior to that, he’d spent some time with the Dodgers organization, signing a minor league deal and being selected to the big league roster in early July. Reed made six appearances with Los Angeles, working 5 1/3 innings of three-run ball before being designated for assignment. Tampa Bay plucked him off waivers but will lose him themselves just a week later.

This season, Reed has worked 22 1/3 innings of 5.24 ERA ball across three Triple-A affiliates. He was bombed in eight appearances with the Angels’ top affiliate in Salt Lake but pitched far better after signing with the Dodgers. Reed has punched out a solid 28.3% of batters faced at the level this season, while walking just 7.1% of opponents. He also still has all three minor league options years remaining, so the Mets can shuttle Reed back and forth between Queens and Triple-A Syracuse if he can stick on the 40-man roster.

Astros Claim Jacob Wilson Off Waivers From A’s

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The Astros are claiming utilityman Jacob Wilson off waivers from the Athletics, according to announcements from both teams. Oakland had designated Wilson for assignment over the weekend. Righty Tyler Ivey is being transferred to the 60-day injured list to create 40-man roster space, relays Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (Twitter link).

Wilson, 31, is a former Cardinals draftee who bounced between a few organizations without getting a major league shot before signing with the Lotte Giants of the Korea Baseball Organization in 2019. The right-handed hitter performed well in South Korea before returning stateside, inking a minor league deal with the A’s over the offseason. He mashed at a .288/.385/.630 clip over 218 plate appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas (albeit in a hitter’s paradise) to earn his first big league call last month.

The A’s gave Wilson just seven plate appearances over six games (in which he picked up his first big league hit) before designating him upon acquiring Josh Harrison and Yan Gomes in a deadline deal with the Nationals. Clearly, the Astros were sufficiently intrigued by his minor league performance to give him another shot on a 40-man roster. Wilson saw action at each of second base, third base and in left field this season, and he still has all three minor league option years remaining. If Wilson sticks on the 40-man, he can serve as a bat-first mutli-position option to keep in the high minors.

Ivey suffered an elbow issue that he acknowledged in June was likely to end his season. He had been on the minor league injured list, but the Astros need to place him on the major league 60-day injured list to open a 40-man roster spot. Doing so will entitle Ivey to big league pay and service time for as long as he remains on the 60-day IL (presumably the remainder of the season).

Pirates Claim Anthony Banda From Mets

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The Pirates announced they’ve claimed left-hander Anthony Banda off waivers from the Mets. Pittsburgh already had a vacancy on the 40-man roster. New York designated Banda for assignment over the weekend.

Banda’s tenure with the Mets proved a fairly short one. New York acquired the 27-year-old in a minor league trade with the Giants in early July. He was selected to the roster a couple weeks later but let go after making five relief appearances totaling 7 1/3 innings. Banda was tagged for eight runs (six earned) on fourteen hits in that time, although he did strike out seven while issuing a single walk.

This marks the fifth consecutive season in which Banda has gotten big league work, although he’s not picked up more than 25 2/3 frames in any single year. A one-time top 100 prospect while coming up in the Diamondbacks system, Banda has been set back by injuries and struggles at the highest levels in recent years. He carries a 4.99 ERA in parts of five Triple-A seasons but was quite good up through Double-A. Banda is out of minor league options, so he needs to stick in the big leagues or wind up back on waivers moving forward.

Tigers Claim Nivaldo Rodriguez From Astros

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The Tigers announced they’ve claimed right-hander Nivaldo Rodríguez off waivers from the Astros and optioned him to Triple-A Toledo. Houston designated Rodríguez for assignment over the weekend. Detroit had a pair of vacancies on the 40-man roster, so no corresponding move was necessary.

Rodríguez has made nine appearances totaling sixteen innings of relief at the big league level over the past two seasons. He’s allowed nine runs over that span, giving up nineteen hits (including five homers) and issuing ten walks while striking out eleven. Rodríguez has spent more time with Triple-A Sugar Land this year, tossing 27 1/3 innings of 5.93 ERA ball with worse than average strikeout and walk rates (19.5% and 12.5%, respectively).

Nevertheless, it’s a sensible enough decision for the Tigers to take a no-risk flier on the 24-year-old. Rodríguez has worked exclusively in relief to this point in the big leagues, but he’s generally served as a starting pitcher in the minors. He’s shown a five-pitch mix (four-seam, sinker, slider, changeup, curveball) in his limited MLB time, so it’s not outlandish to think he could stick as high minors rotation depth.

Entering the season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs called Rodríguez a likely fifth starter or long relief type, slotting him 17th among prospects in the Astros system. Rodríguez still has one minor league option year remaining beyond this season, so he can move freely between Detroit and Toledo through the end of 2022 if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Brewers Acquire John Axford From Blue Jays

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The Brewers announced they’ve acquired reliever John Axford from the Blue Jays for cash considerations. Axford signed a minor league deal with Toronto in June and was not on the Jays’ 40-man roster, which is why he’s eligible to be traded even after last Friday’s deadline.

Axford will be selected to Milwaukee’s big league roster before this evening’s game against the Pirates, according to Adam McCalvy of MLB.com (Twitter link). His season debut will be his first big league appearance since August 2018.

It’s an incredible comeback for the 39-year-old, who’d barely pitched in any capacity between his last big league stint and his signing with the Blue Jays six weeks ago. Axford missed essentially all of the 2019 season on the minor league injured list, and his hopes of returning to affiliated ball last year were derailed by the pandemic.

Given Axford’s age, it seemed likely his playing career was over after two lost seasons. But he remained in shape — even as he did some work as a television analyst — and made it back to professional ball with Toronto. Axford has made the best of his somewhat limited body of work with Triple-A Buffalo over the past month-plus, tossing 10 2/3 innings of one-run ball. He’s struck out an impressive fourteen batters faced while issuing just three walks. Along the way, he’s shown a fastball in the 96-98 MPH range, per Scott Mitchell of TSN.

That strong work was enough to catch the attention of the Milwaukee front office, who’s now set to give Axford a chance to carry over that success against big league hitters once again. The veteran righty was one of the better closers in baseball during the first few years of the last decade and has been generally solid overall, working to a 3.87 ERA across 525 1/3 big league innings.

Of course, Axford’s biggest success came in Milwaukee. He broke into the majors with the Brewers in 2009 and pitched with the team through 2013. Axford led the National League in saves (46) in 2011, en route to a ninth-place finish in NL Cy Young Award voting that year. He worked to a 3.35 ERA in his first four-plus seasons with the Brew Crew and his 106 career saves in a Milwaukee uniform ranks second in franchise history.

Orioles Release Three Players

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The Orioles released reliever Evan Phillips, reports Dan Connolly of the Athletic (Twitter link). Baltimore is also moving on from reliever Cody Carroll and first baseman/corner outfielder Chris Shaw, according to Rich Dubroff of Baltimore Baseball (on Twitter). All three players had already been outrighted off the 40-man roster, so they’ll hit the open market and presumably pursue minor league deals elsewhere.

Phillips appeared in the big leagues every season from 2018-20. He broke in with the Braves and was moved to Baltimore as part of the deadline deal that sent Kevin Gausman to Atlanta. The righty has a 7.50 ERA over 54 big league innings. The 26-year-old has punched out a solid 25.4% of opponents at the highest level but has walked an elevated 14.9% of batters faced. Phillips tossed 25 innings of 5.04 ERA ball with Triple-A Norfolk this season.

Carroll came over from the Yankees in the Zack Britton trade a week before Phillips joined the organization. He’s tossed 19 innings of 13.74 ERA/5.77 SIERA ball in the majors and posted a 5.57 ERA over 21 frames for Norfolk this year. The 28-year-old has racked up plenty of strikeouts in the minors but struggled with walks and has had trouble keeping the ball in the yard against high-level hitters.

Shaw might be the most notable name of the bunch, as he’s a former first-round draft pick of the Giants. The big left-handed hitter posted strong numbers throughout his minor league career but didn’t play well over a scattered 82 MLB plate appearances with San Francisco from 2018-19. Baltimore claimed the 27-year-old off waivers last November, but he spent a good chunk of this season on the minor league injured list and didn’t hit over a brief 50 plate appearance look with the Tides upon his return last month.

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