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Rays Expected To Activate Chris Archer On Sunday

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The Rays are prepared to activate right-hander Chris Archer from the 60-day injured list on Sunday, relays Neil Solondz. Presumably, Archer will take the ball to start that afternoon’s game against the White Sox. The Rays will need to make a corresponding 40-man roster move this weekend.

Archer missed the entire 2020 season with the Pirates after undergoing surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome last June. Nevertheless, Tampa Bay brought back the 32-year-old on a one-year deal over the winter. The hope was that he’d be able to find something resembling the form that made him a two-time All-Star during his first run as a Ray, but injuries have continued to get in the way.

While Archer began the year healthy, he landed on the IL after just two appearances due to forearm tightness. The initial hope was that he’d be back in relatively short order, but he ultimately required a more than four-month recovery timeline. Archer began a minor league rehab assignment last month, but that was halted temporarily as he battled left hip soreness. He restarted that assignment a couple weeks ago and reached 71 pitches during his most recent outing with Triple-A Durham.

The Rays have continued to thrive in spite of Archer’s absence. Tampa Bay sits at 75-48, giving them a four game advantage over the Yankees in the American League East.

Dodgers Designate Conner Greene For Assignment

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The Dodgers announced they’ve designated Conner Greene for assignment. The move clears space on the 40-man roster for Shane Greene, whose previously-reported agreement with the club has been made official. Evan Phillips has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right quad strain to open room on the active roster.

Los Angeles just added Conner Greene off waivers from the Orioles two weeks ago. They could now stand to lose him after just a pair of big league outings, as the 26-year-old will find himself on the waiver wire again over the coming days. He’s made his first five MLB appearances between Baltimore and L.A. this season, tossing 5 2/3 innings of six-run ball but striking out seven while issuing only a single walk. Greene struggled over a much larger body of work with the O’s top affiliate in Norfolk, where he posted a 7.39 ERA with worse than average strikeout and walk rates (20.4% and 12.4%, respectively).

Obviously, Greene hasn’t gotten the results he’s desired so far in 2021. But he’s averaged just under 96 MPH on his fastball during his big league action and generated strong swinging strike rates at both the major league and minor league levels. He’s also a former well-regarded prospect who ranked among the Blue Jays’ most promising farmhands during his earlier days in the Toronto system. Greene still has a minor league option remaining, so any team that claims him could keep him in the high minors through the end of the season.

Padres Place Jake Arrieta On Injured List

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The Padres announced this evening they’ve placed starter Jake Arrieta on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to August 19, due to a left hamstring strain. The move opens space on the active roster for utilityman Jurickson Profar, who has been reinstated after missing two weeks on the COVID-19 IL. To open space on the 40-man roster for Profar, reliever Drew Pomeranz was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day IL.

Already reeling in the rotation due to injuries to Yu Darvish, Dinelson Lamet and Chris Paddack, San Diego signed Arrieta this week after he was released by the Cubs. The veteran right-hander made his first start as a Padre on Wednesday at Coors Field. He allowed five runs over 3 1/3 innings against the Rockies before departing due to the hamstring issue that today landed him on the shelf.

With Arrieta also out, San Diego will again have to try and piece things together behind Joe Musgrove, Blake Snell and Ryan Weathers. Reiss Knehr looks like one potential option for the back of the rotation, and the Padres also have Daniel Camarena on the 40-man roster as a pitcher capable of working into the middle innings. Fortunately, Darvish threw a bullpen session this afternoon, his first since landing on the IL last weekend (via AJ Cassavell of MLB.com).

Pomeranz’s transfer to the 60-day IL is nothing more than a procedural move. The southpaw is out for the season after it was determined he’s require surgery to repair a torn flexor tendon.

Marlins Select Austin Pruitt

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The Marlins are selecting Austin Pruitt back to the big league roster, relays Jordan McPherson of the Miami Herald (Twitter link). Pruitt had been designated for assignment and passed through outright waivers earlier this month. Righty Nick Neidert was optioned to Triple-A Jacksonville to clear an active roster spot, while the club transferred starter Cody Poteet from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open room on the 40-man roster.

Miami acquired Pruitt alongside Bryan de la Cruz in the trade that sent Yimi García to the Astros just before the trade deadline. Pruitt made just one appearance for the Fish before being waived, but he’s now back in the majors after a couple weeks in Jacksonville, where he made three scoreless relief appearances. If he sticks on the Marlins’ 40-man roster this time around, Pruitt can be controlled for the next few seasons via arbitration.

Pruitt worked as a swingman with the Rays between 2017-19, and Houston acquired him heading into the 2020 season as a potential option for the back of the rotation. Unfortunately, he missed all of 2020 and the first half of this season because of an elbow injury that eventually required surgery. His time as an Astro consisted of just 2 2/3 innings of relief, during which he allowed a pair of home runs. Houston designated him for assignment thereafter before including him in the García deal.

Poteet has been out since June 28 due to a right knee sprain. Today’s transfer only rules him out for sixty days from that date, so he could theoretically return by next week. The right-hander was recently shut down from his rehab assignment due to recurring inflammation in the joint, though, so it’s not clear when he’ll be healthy enough to make it back to the mound.

Angels Select Jose Marte

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The Angels announced they’ve selected the contract of reliever Jose Marte. Fellow bullpen arm Aaron Slegers was optioned to Triple-A Salt Lake in a corresponding move. Los Angeles already had an opening on the 40-man roster, so no additional transaction was necessary.

Marte is in line to make his big league debut. The right-hander signed with the Giants as an amateur from the Dominican Republic during the 2015-16 offseason. He’s spent the bulk of his career in the San Francisco system, where he’s entered each of the past three seasons in the back half of the Giants’ top 30 prospects list at Baseball America.

Entering 2021, BA ranked Marte #30 among San Francisco minor leaguers, writing that his high-90’s fastball and low-90’s slider could make him an effective bullpen piece. That said, Marte also has some rather notable issues with his control that led San Francisco to leave him exposed in last winter’s Rule 5 draft, where he went unselected.

The Angels acquired Marte just before the trade deadline as part of a three-player return for reliever Tony Watson. He’d have again been Rule 5 eligible this offseason if not selected to the 40-man roster, so there’s little harm for the Angels in getting him a look at the big league level down the stretch. Marte has spent the majority of this season at Double-A, posting a 3.16 ERA over 25 2/3 innings with a massive 36.3% strikeout percentage but an elevated 15% walk rate.

Phillies Select Jorge Bonifacio

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The Phillies announced they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. He’s getting the start tonight in center field against the Padres. To open space on the 40-man roster, Philadelphia designated reliever Mauricio Llovera for assignment.

Bonifacio joined the organization on a minor league deal in May. Originally assigned to Double-A Reading, he posted a strong .251/.343/.538 line across 198 plate appearances, earning a bump up to Triple-A Lehigh Valley. Bonifacio has been even more impressive at the minors’ top level, mashing at a .321/.432/.564 clip in 95 trips to the plate to earn his first big league call this year.

This marks the fifth consecutive year in which Bonifacio picks up some MLB playing time. A fairly well-regarded prospect during his days in the Royals’ system, the right-handed hitter broke into the majors in 2017 and spent that season as Kansas City’s primary right fielder. He hit a fine .255/.320/.432 over 113 games that year, but he was suspended for half the 2018 campaign after testing positive for performance-enhancing drugs.

Bonifacio picked up 270 plate appearances with the Royals down the stretch that season but failed to match his league average output from the year prior. After hitting just .225/.312/.360, he was mostly relegated to Triple-A in 2019. Bonfiacio only tallied 115 combined trips to the dish between Kansas City in 2019 and the Tigers last season.

He’s made it back to the majors and will apparently be an option for Philadelphia at all three spots on the grass. Tonight’s start in center will be just his second as a big leaguer, his first since his 2017 rookie season. Bonifacio has otherwise worked exclusively in the corner outfield.

Llovera was once one of the more promising young pitchers in the Philadelphia organization. At his prospect peak, he drew praise from evaluators for a mid-90’s fastball and pair of solid off-speed pitches. Llovera’s average fastball velocity has bounced back to 94.5 MPH this season after dipping last year, but he’s had a difficult 2021 campaign from a results perspective.

Over six big league appearances, Llovera has been tagged for seven runs in 6 2/3 innings, allowing five homers in the process. He’s spent more time in Lehigh Valley, where he has a 4.60 mark across 29 1/3 frames. The 25-year-old has posted strikeout and walk rates marginally worse than league average (24% and 10.9%, respectively) with the IronPigs.

The Phils will place Llovera on waivers in the coming days. He’s still young and not far removed from being regarded as a potentially useful bullpen arm, so he could attract interest on the wire. Llovera still has one additional minor league option year remaining, so any claiming team could keep him in Triple-A through the end of 2022 if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Rangers Select Nick Snyder

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The Rangers announced they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Nick Snyder and recalled infielder Nick Solak. Righty Joe Barlow has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a blister on his right index finger, and lefty John King was transferred from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Additionally, utilityman Charlie Culberson has been placed on the COVID-19 IL. Culberson has flu-like symptoms, relays Levi Weaver of the Athletic, but he has not tested positive for the coronavirus.

Snyder joined the Rangers as a 19th-round draft choice in 2017 out of a Florida junior college. He’s worked exclusively in relief as a professional, posting strong performances at every level up through Double-A. Snyder has compiled a 3.05 ERA across 105 career innings in the minors, punching out a strong 29.6% of batters faced while walking a tiny 6.7% of opponents. Entering this season, Eric Longenhagen of FanGraphs noted that Snyder works in the 93-96 MPH range with his fastball. He’s been dominant with Double-A Frisco this season, working 16 1/3 frames of 1.65 ERA ball, but has very little in the way of Triple-A experience.

Solak began the year as Texas’ regular second baseman. After a strong start to the season, his bat tailed off considerably. He was optioned to Triple-A Round Rock in late July, carrying a subpar .225/.295/.353 line for the year. Solak has earned himself another look with a strong .353/.409/.459 showing over 93 plate appearances with the Express. The rebuilding Rangers figure to give the 26-year-old another regular look, as Solak was one of the more promising offensive players in the organization during his time as a prospect.

King’s injured list placement was backdated to July 7, and today’s move rules him out for sixty days from that date. He’ll be eligible to come back in early September after missing a couple months with inflammation in his throwing shoulder. The southpaw has been on a rehab assignment with Round Rock but recently felt some unexpected soreness, as Kenndi Landry of MLB.com wrote this week. The expectation still seems to be that King will make it back next month, and today’s transfer gives him a little extra recovery time while opening up 40-man roster space.

Cardinals Activate Miles Mikolas

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The Cardinals announced Friday that right-hander Miles Mikolas has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list and will start tonight’s game. St. Louis placed right-hander Ryan Helsley on the 10-day injured list with a stress reaction in his right elbow, opening a spot on the active roster. Meanwhile, lefty Brandon Waddell has been placed on the Covid-19 injured list, tweets Zachary Silver of MLB.com, which opens a spot on the 40-man roster.

Tonight’s start is not only just Mikolas’ second appearance of the season — it’s second appearance overall dating back to the 2019 season. The right-hander parlayed an excellent three-year stint in Japan into a two-year, $15.5MM deal with the Cardinals, and he showed well enough in his return to MLB that the Cards signed him to a four-year, $68MM extension that spanned the 2020-23 seasons. Forearm surgery wiped out Mikolas’ entire 2020 season, however, and he’s spent the bulk of the current season on the injured list with continued forearm troubles.

Since returning to the Major Leagues in 2018, Mikolas has pitched quite well, logging a collective 3.45 earned run average with an 18.4 percent strikeout rate, a minuscule 3.9 percent walk rate and an above-average 48.4 percent ground-ball rate. Mikolas made the 2018 All-Star team and pitched well enough that season to land a sixth-place finish in National League Cy Young voting.

He’ll return to a Cardinals rotation that has been hammered by injuries throughout the summer but is now getting as close to full strength as it’s been in quite some time. Jack Flaherty returned to the staff a week ago after missing two months with an oblique tear, and the Cards hope to get Kwang Hyun Kim back from the 10-day injured list sooner than later. He made a rehab start just yesterday.

Flaherty and Mikolas join cornerstone Adam Wainwright and trade deadline newcomers J.A. Happ and Jon Lester in the rotation for now as the Cardinals do their best to chase down the second National League Wild Card spot. St. Louis has won seven of its past ten games to trim its deficit to three and a half games.

Mets Claim Heath Hembree, Transfer Jacob deGrom To 60-Day Injured List

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The Mets have claimed right-handed reliever Heath Hembree off waivers from the Reds, per a club announcement. Ace Jacob deGrom was transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster. The Mets have already been without deGrom for more than a month, and he wasn’t expected back until September anyhow. He’ll be eligible to return on Sept. 15.

Hembree, 32, was serving as the Reds’ closer earlier this summer before a rough few weeks caused his ERA to balloon up to a dismal 6.38 mark. Unsightly as that ERA is, Hembree was lights-out from late June through late July, pitching to a 1.42 ERA with a 19-to-5 K/BB ratio and racking up seven saves in a span of 12 2/3 innings. That hot streak obviously came in a very small sample, but it’s worth noting — and this is likely what drew the Mets to him — that Hembree has been among the game’s best in terms of missing bats all season.

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. He’s largely been done in by the long ball this season, serving up 10 dingers in 44 2/3 innings of work (2.13 HR/9). Seven of those home runs have come at the extremely hitter-friendly Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati, however, where Hembree’s ERA is north of 8.00. He’s been much better on the road, and a change of scenery could do him some good.

As for deGrom, the Mets said last week that he’d go at least another two weeks without throwing, so it’s unlikely he’d have been able to return much sooner than Sept. 15 anyhow. Once he starts throwing, he’ll need to build up sufficient arm strength to get back to the mound and hopefully make a few starts for the Mets down the stretch as they look to pull out of the spiral that has seen them fall from a comfortable lead in the NL East to a sub-.500 record and a five-game gap between the now-division-leading Braves.

Orioles Claim Chris Ellis, Designate Cesar Valdez For Assignment

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The Orioles announced Friday that they’ve claimed righty Chris Ellis off waivers from the Rays and designated right-hander Cesar Valdez for assignment. Meanwhile, left-hander Ryan Hartman, who was designated for assignment earlier in the week, went unclaimed on waivers and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Norfolk.

Ellis, 28, pitched four shutout innings with seven strikeouts against the Orioles earlier this week. The Rays had selected him to the MLB roster in order to get a fresh arm in the ’pen, but it proved to be a one-off appearance for Ellis in spite of that fine work. The O’s, who currently have the game’s worst record, have top priority on the waiver wire.

Ellis has had a rough season in Triple-A, pitching to a 6.32 ERA in 57 innings with below-average strikeout and walk rates and 14 home runs allowed. He’s had a rough couple of seasons in Triple-A but has had some success at that level in the past and comes to the Orioles with a bit of pedigree. He’s a former third-round pick and well-regarded prospect who was included in a pair of trades for notable big leaguers (Andrelton Simmons and Jaime Garcia), and the Royals liked him enough to select him in the Rule 5 Draft back in the 2018-19 offseason as well.

The Orioles are a good landing spot for a pitcher like Ellis, who has had some success in the upper minors but has yet to get much of a real look in the Majors. The O’s can afford to give him a look in the rotation or try him out of the bullpen if they like. Ellis also has all three minor league options remaining, so he can give them flexibility both now and in future seasons — if he sticks on the 40-man roster.

Valdez, 36, became the Orioles’ unlikely closer after signing a minor league deal in January 2020 and working his way back to the Major Leagues for the first time since 2017. His career arc has been atypical, to say the least, as Valdez debuted as a 25-year-old in 2010 and then did not appear in the Majors again until that 2017 return. The 2020-21 seasons mark the first time that he’s ever pitched in consecutive MLB seasons. Between MLB stints, he’s pitched professionally in Mexico, the Dominican Republic, Venezuela and Taiwan.

Valdez didn’t simply return to the big leagues in 2020 — he thrived. Upon debuting with the Orioles, he pitched 14 1/3 innings and held opponents to two earned runs on seven hits and three walks with a dozen strikeouts. His success carried into 2021, too, at least in the early portion of the season. Valdez pitched to a 2.50 ERA with a sterling 21-to-4 K/BB ratio through his first 18 innings this season, accumulating eight saves along the way. Valdez found that success in spite of a “fastball” that barely averages 85 mph, relying heavily on a 78 mph changeup he refers to as the “dead fish.”

It’s been a swift decline since late May, however. Valdez was tagged for three runs in consecutive outings late in May and hasn’t been able to right the ship. Dating back to May 24, Valdez has pitched 27 1/3 innings and allowed a whopping 24 runs on 41 hits (including eight homers) and nine walks with 23 strikeouts.

It’s possible another club will take a look at Valdez on outright waivers, as he’s not yet arbitration eligible. He’s out of minor league options, though, meaning any club who does place a claim will need to carry him on the active roster or else try to pass him through waivers a second time before being able to send him down.

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