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Rays Select Hunter Strickland, Place Pete Fairbanks On IL

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10:02 am: Fairbanks expects to miss around a month, he tells reporters. Cash says the righty will be shut down from throwing for two to three weeks. (Topkin links).

9:07 am: The Rays are selecting the contract of reliever Hunter Strickland, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (Twitter link) and Adam Berry of MLB.com (via Twitter). Catcher Joseph Odom has been designated for assignment to open 40-man roster space. Additionally, outfielder Brett Phillips has been activated from the injured list, while right-hander Pete Fairbanks is headed to the 10-day IL with a right rotator cuff strain.

Strickland had a productive run with the Giants from 2015-18 but has fallen on hard times over the past couple seasons. He managed just a 5.55 ERA/5.01 SIERA between the Mariners and Nationals in 2019, then tallied just 3.1 innings of four-run ball with the Mets last year before being sent to the alternate training site. The hard-throwing righty signed a minors contract with Tampa Bay in February and is now in line to make his team debut.

Fairbanks’ loss is another blow to a Rays’ bullpen already without Nick Anderson and Chaz Roe for extended periods of time. It isn’t clear how long Fairbanks will be on the shelf, but a lengthy absence would deprive Tampa Bay of one of their best relievers. The 27-year-old tossed 26.2 innings of 2.70 ERA/3.48 SIERA ball in the regular season in 2020, earning manager Kevin Cash’s trust in the late innings for the postseason.

Phillips returns after opening the year on the IL due to a hamstring strain. He could see some playing time as the fourth outfielder while Kevin Kiermaier is on the shelf with a quad strain. Odom was selected to the Rays’ roster last week and went hitless in a pair of plate appearances.

Braves Acquire Edgar Santana From Pirates

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9:27 am: Santana’s suspension has been served and he is eligible to return to the active roster, per David O’Brien of the Athletic (Twitter link).

8:05 am: The Braves are acquiring right-hander Edgar Santana from the Pirates in exchange for cash considerations, per Jason Mackey of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette (Twitter link). Pittsburgh designated Santana for assignment earlier this week.

A few years ago, Santana looked to have solidified himself as a reliable bullpen arm in Pittsburgh. In 84.1 innings between 2017-18, he managed a solid 3.31 ERA/3.77 SIERA. Santana didn’t miss many bats for a reliever (21.0% strikeout percentage), but he was quite good at avoiding free passes (6.8% walk rate) and racked up ground balls at a decent 45.6% clip.

Unfortunately, Santana suffered a torn UCL and required Tommy John Surgery in October 2018. The timing of the procedure cost him the entire 2019 season. Santana was then hit with an 80-game PED suspension last June, keeping him out of action for all of last year’s abbreviated season.

Nearly three years removed from his most recent game action, it’s unclear whether Santana will be able to recapture any of his former promise. He does still have a pair of minor-league option years remaining, so he’ll give the Braves some additional bullpen flexibility if the front office is sufficiently impressed with his current form to keep him on the 40-man roster. Atlanta freed up a 40-man spot (and thinned out its righty bullpen depth) in the Orlando Arcia trade earlier this week, so no corresponding move is necessary to accomodate Santana’s arrival.

Diamondbacks Place Ketel Marte On 10-Day Injured List, Recall Andrew Young

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The Diamondbacks have placed Ketel Marte on the 10-day injured list with a right hamstring strain, the team announced. Andrew Young has been recalled from the Taxi Squad to take his roster spot.

This is a tough blow for the Diamondbacks, who are off to a 2-4 start this season. Marte is off to an incredible .462/.500/.846 start to the season, already posting 0.7 fWAR in six games. The long-term outlook is as of yet unclear. That said, the initial plan was to have Marte assessed with an MRI tomorrow in Phoenix before making an decision, per MLB.com’s Steve Gilbert (via Twitter). That they went ahead and made the move prior to that evaluation isn’t a great sign.

Young, 26, came to the Diamondbacks from the Cardinals as part of the Paul Goldschmidt deal. He made his Major League debut last season with 34 plate appearances across 12 games. Young, like Marte, can move around the diamond defensively. Tim Locastro is playing centerfield today, where Marte started each of the first six games.

White Sox Place Billy Hamilton On Injured List, Call Up Nick Williams

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The White Sox placed Billy Hamilton on the injured list after he tweaked his hamstring in yesterday’s ballgame. Nick Williams has been called up to take his place on the roster  while Jace Fry was moved to the 60-day injured list. Williams had to be added to the 40-man roster, per the Athletic’s James Fegan (via Twitter).

Williams will get right into the action today. He is starting in left and batting seventh against the Royals. Williams, 27, was hardly Plan A for the White Sox this season, but he’ll have his cleats in the grass for their home opener nonetheless. Eloy Jimenez, of course, was the scheduled left fielder, but he tore his pectoral in the spring and will be out for four to five months.

Rookie Andrew Vaughn has split time in left with Hamilton to start the season. Leury Garcia has been one option for left, but he’s experiencing some leg tightness of his own, though he is available off the bench, notes Fegan. Garcia may also be needed at shortstop while Tim Anderson is on the injured list. Danny Mendick gets the start at short today.

As for Williams, he’ll be making his first Major League appearance since 2019. He hit .254/.313/.420 in 903 plate appearances with the Phillies from 2017 to 2019, a 94 wRC+ for his career. His role with the Phils was largely usurped by Bryce Harper as he saw his playing time and productivity diminish significantly in 2019. Prior to that season, he had posted a 110 wRC+ and 102 wRC+ in back-to-back seasons.  He signed with the White Sox this past January.

Red Sox Activate Eduardo Rodriguez

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The Red Sox have officially activated Eduardo Rodriguez for his much-anticipated first start of the 2021 season, the team announced. He will take the hill for today’s ballgame against Baltimore. Rodriguez, of course, will be making his first start since 2019 after missing last season due to myocarditis brought on by COVID-19. Rodriguez began this season on the injured list because of elbow inflammation.

It’s somewhat appropriate that Rodriguez be able to make his return against the Orioles, with whom he spent many of his development years. He came to the Red Sox in a deadline deal for Andrew Miller in July of 2014. He would make his debut for the Red Sox the following season, and he’s been a key piece of their rotation ever since.

The corresponding roster move was made yesterday when Tanner Houck was optioned to Boston’s alternate training site. He appeared in two games, starting one, totaling six innings. He gave up two earned runs on seven hits, but also managed an impressive 10:1 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Houck will almost certainly be back this season, potentially as early as next week as the Red Sox kick off a 16-game stretch without a day off, beginning this Saturday.

Mets Place Dellin Betances On Injured List, Call Up Trevor Hildenberger

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The Mets have placed right-hander Dellin Betances on the 10-day injured list because of a right shoulder impingement, per Newsday’s Tim Healey and others (via Twitter). Trevor Hildenberger will take his place on the active roster. Hildenberger will be added to the 40-man roster, which will now be full.

Betances, 33, made his first appearance of the season yesterday. He surrendered one run in one inning of work without giving up a hit. He walked one and struck out one. Injuries have been a central piece of Betances’ narrative since joining the Mets. He threw 11 2/3 innings last year in 15 appearances, finishing with a 7.71 ERA/4.91 FIP while striking out just 18.6 percent of hitters and struggling with his control. He had a 20.3 percent walk rate in 2020. This, of course, came after injuries robbed him of all but one appearance in his final season with the Yankees.

Hildenberger now becomes the latest solution to the Mets’ bullpen woes. The 30-year-old didn’t appear in the Majors last season, signing a minor league deal with the Red Sox but never making it to the roster. He does have 132 appearances from his time with the Twins from 2017 to 2019.

He was particularly good in his debut season back in 2017 when he made 37 appearances with a 3.21 ERA/3.02 FIP. The ball did not bounce his way the following two campaigns, however, when he posted a combined 6.35 ERA across 95 appearances totaling 89 1/3 innings, despite having a 4.58 FIP over that same span. An absurdly-high .459 BABIP over 22 appearances in 2019 might have been to blame for his bloated ERA that season.

Minor MLB Transactions: 4/7/21

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The latest minor moves from around baseball, all courtesy of Chris Hilburn-Trenkle of Baseball America:

  • The Rockies recently signed first baseman Matt Adams to a minor-league deal. The slugging lefty has been assigned to Colorado’s alternate training site, per Kyle Newman of The Denver Post. Adams has played for the Cardinals, Nationals and Braves over the past nine seasons. He was a fairly significant part of Washington’s big league roster as recently as 2019, although he only picked up 51 plate appearances with Atlanta last year before being cut loose. The Rockies have tabbed C.J. Cron as their regular first baseman to start the year.
  • The Cubs signed Andrew Romine to a minors contract. The veteran utilityman has played with the Angels, Tigers, Rangers and Mariners over a big league career that began in 2010. Romine was in camp with the Twins in Spring Training but opted out after Minnesota declined to add the 35-year-old to the MLB roster. Romine’s younger brother Austin Romine is a catcher on the Cubs’ major league team, although the backstop is currently on the 10-day injured list.
  • The White Sox signed outfielder Zack Granite and right-hander Keyvius Sampson to minor-league deals. Granite is a speedy outfielder who picked up 107 MLB plate appearances with the 2017 Twins. He has since spent time in the Rangers’ and Yankees’ systems but hasn’t made it back to the big leagues. Sampson pitched in the majors with the Reds from 2015-16 and with the Hanwha Eagles of the Korea Baseball Organization in 2018. He returned to the U.S. on a minors deal with the Giants in 2019 but didn’t get back to the majors.

CPBL’s Fubon Guardians Sign Eduardo Nunez

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Former big league infielder Eduardo Núñez has signed with the Fubon Guardians of the Chinese Professional Baseball League, per a team announcement (h/t to CPBL Stats). The 33-year-old’s most recent major league action came with the Mets, with whom Núñez picked up a pair of plate appearances last year.

Núñez has played in parts of eleven big league seasons, seeing rather extensive action with each of the Yankees, Twins and Red Sox. He even earned an All-Star selection after a strong start to the 2016 season in Minnesota. Altogether, the right-handed hitting infielder has compiled a .276/.310/.404 slash line with 58 home runs and 142 stolen bases across 3008 plate appearances at the MLB level.

The Guardians also roster former big league pitchers Manny Bañuelos and JC Ramírez. The team signed Héctor Noesí last December, but he was released in February after suffering an offseason injury, as CPBL Stats noted at the time.

Diamondbacks Select Anthony Swarzak, Place Chris Devenski On Restricted List

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The Diamondbacks announced this evening they’ve selected the contract of reliever Anthony Swarzak. Fellow bullpen arm Chris Devenski has been placed on the restricted list in a corresponding roster move.

Swarzak signed a minor-league deal with the Arizona organization in early March. The 35-year-old is now in line to make his return to a major league mound after not pitching last season. Swarzak broke out with 77.1 innings of 2.33 ERA ball between the White Sox and Brewers in 2017, but he was less effective after signing with the Mets in the ensuing offseason. He struggled between a pair of injured list stints in 2018, and New York shipped him off to Seattle that winter. Other than a minor IL stint for shoulder inflammation, the veteran righty stayed healthy with the Mariners and Braves in 2019, but he only managed a 4.56 ERA/4.65 SIERA across 53.1 innings.

Devenski has pitched in two games for the D-Backs this season. He has been placed on the restricted list for unspecified personal reasons, manager Torey Lovullo told reporters (including Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic). No other updates are yet available, but Lovullo said Devenski’s situation is not related to COVID-19.

Twins Select Brandon Waddell, Place Brent Rooker On Injured List

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The Twins will place outfielder/first baseman Brent Rooker on the 10-day injured list with a cervical strain in his neck and select the contract of left-hander Brandon Waddell from their alternate training site today, the club announced. Hard-throwing young righty Edwar Colina was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Waddell. Colina is dealing with inflammation in his right elbow.

Rooker, 26, was the No. 35 overall pick back in the 2017 draft and has had some rough luck early in his big league career. He burst onto the scene with a .316/.381/.579 slash through seven games last summer before sustaining a fractured forearm when he was hit by a pitch. That injury ended his season, and Rooker will now head back to the injured list after just appearing in just three games in 2021.

Rooker is a bat-first prospect who isn’t likely viewed as the team’s long-term answer in left field, but his power bat is still expected to get a legitimate audition when he’s healthy. He can shift between first, left field and DH, and given that his most recent minor league work in 2019 produced a .282/.399/.530 batting line in 67 games between Double-A and Triple-A, it’s not hard to see why the organization is bullish on him. The Twins did not give an immediate indication as to how long the new injury is expected to sideline Rooker.

As for the 26-year-old Waddell, an eventual big league audition with the Twins appeared likely after the former Pirates farmhand turned heads in Spring Training. Waddell yielded five runs in 9 1/3 innings, but he also struck out 15 of the 36 hitters he faced (41.7 percent) and showed what the Twins felt was a demonstrably improved arsenal. Minnesota claimed him off waivers from Pittsburgh at the end of the 2020 season and managed to sneak Waddell through waivers in late February, but his absence from the 40-man roster proved brief.

Waddell has a pair of minor league options remaining, so the Twins will be able to send him down to their alternate site in St. Paul without exposing him to waivers for a second time. For now, he’ll join Taylor Rogers and Caleb Thielbar as a third lefty in manager Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen.

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