AL West Notes: Astros, Bregman, Angels, Trout, A’s, Brown, Piscotty
The Astros are expected to activate star third baseman Alex Bregman from the injured list on Monday, per Jon Heyman of the MLB Network (via Twitter). That should be welcome news for the Houston faithful. The Astros have been without Bregman since June 17th when he suffered a quad strain. He will play what could be a final rehab game for Triple-A Sugar Land tomorrow, tweets Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle. The Astros have held up without Bregman, but with just a 2.5 game lead over the A’s in the West, Dusty Baker’s squad could certainly use another big bat. Speaking of those Athletics…
- Seth Brown wasn’t gone for long. The A’s outfielder was optioned to Triple-A yesterday, but he’s back on the active roster today, replacing Stephen Piscotty, who heads to the 10-day injured list with a sprained left wrist, the team announced. Brown steps right into the starting lineup today playing right field. Piscotty, meanwhile, is suffering through the worst season of his career, slashing .220/.282/.353 in 173 plate appearances — an output worth -0.6 rWAR.
- Mike Trout is running about every other day, and though he’s nearing a rehab assignment, a date has not yet been set, per Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com (via Twitter). The Angels are exactly .500 at 62-62, which puts them 11 games out of first and 8.5 out of a playoff spot. Trout doesn’t exactly have to hustle back for the playoff race, then, though the Halos do have a chance to finish above .500 for the first time since 2015. Trout has been out since May 18th with a calf strain, though the superstar refers to the injury as a tear.
Mariners Place Diego Castillo On 10-Day Injured List
The Mariners have placed Diego Castillo on the 10-day injured list with right shoulder inflammation, recalling Robert Dugger from Triple-A to fill his roster spot, per the team.
The acquisition of Castillo from the Rays at the trade deadline was a calculated gamble by GM Jerry Dipoto to gain more long-term security without suffering a drop-off from Kendall Graveman, an impending free agent who was dealt to the Astros. Castillo has more-or-less performed as expected, considering the small sample.
Castillo has one save in 10 outings since joining Seattle, tossing 9 1/3 innings and allowing four earned runs. In total on the year, Castillo has a 2.96 ERA/3.92 FIP in 45 2/3 innings with the Rays and Mariners.
Dugger has bounced back and forth between Tacoma and the bigs this season, his first with the Mariners. The results have been underwhelming at both stops, however. He has a 7.30 ERA in 37 innings in Triple-A and a 6.45 ERA in 22 1/3 innings with the Mariners.
Cubs Select Michael Hermosillo, Designate Dan Winkler
TODAY: The Cubs placed Winkler on unconditional release waivers, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (via Twitter). He will be a free agent.
AUG 17: The Cubs have selected outfielder Michael Hermosillo to the big league roster, the team announced. Reliever Dan Winkler was designated for assignment to open space on the active and 40-man rosters. Additionally, Chicago announced that left-hander Kyle Ryan has elected free agency after being passed through outright waivers.
Hermosillo reaches the majors for the fourth consecutive season, as he saw brief time with the Angels every year from 2018-20. Between those three years, the right-handed hitter only picked up a grand total of 118 plate appearances, slashing .188/.288/.287 with a single home run. Amidst those struggles, Los Angeles passed him through waivers last August and he hit minor league free agency over the offseason.
Chicago added the 26-year-old on a minor league deal and assigned him to Triple-A Iowa. Hermosillo has been brilliant in the minors, raking at a .310/.448/.600 clip and popping ten home runs in 183 trips to the plate while playing all three positions on the grass. With the Cubs reeling at the major league level, they can afford to give Hermosillo a look to see if he can emerge as a late-blooming option for the 2022 team and beyond. He’s out of minor league option years, so Chicago now needs to keep him on the active roster or expose him to waivers.
Winkler has been a fixture in the Cubs’ bullpen over the past two seasons. He kept runs off the board last year despite underwhelming peripherals, but he’s had a difficult 2021 campaign in every regard. The righty has a 5.22 ERA over 39 2/3 frames, striking out hitters at a below-average 21.1% rate while walking a very high 15.8% of opponents.
The past few seasons have been a struggle for Winkler, who pitched well from 2017-18 with the Braves. With the trade deadline in the rearview mirror, he’ll find himself on waivers in the coming days. A claiming team would assume what remains of his $900K salary; otherwise, the Cubs will be on the hook for the tab. Winkler has the right to elect free agency while retaining his entire salary should he pass through waivers.
That’s the course of action Ryan chose after being designated for assignment last week. The veteran southpaw is now set to explore other opportunities. Should he sign elsewhere before August 31, he’d be eligible for his new team’s postseason roster.
David Hess To Rejoin Rays
The Rays are bringing David Hess back into the fold, per Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times (via Cathy Peek McEwen). In a corresponding move, Chris Mazza has been optioned to Triple-A, per Rays’ host Neil Solondz (via Twitter).
Hess was traded from the Rays to the Marlins earlier this season. After 14 appearances covering 18 innings with a 8.00 ERA, the Marlins designated him for assignment and he elected free agency. Hess will presumably join the Rays bullpen in the near future.
The 28-year-old Hess spent seven seasons in the Orioles organization after being selected in the fifth round of the 2014 draft. He debuted with Baltimore in 2018 and was an up-and-down member of their staff over the next three seasons, pitching to a 5.86 ERA through 190 1/3 innings.
Mets Place James McCann On 10-Day Injured List
The Mets have placed catcher James McCann on the 10-day injured list because of lower back spams, per Tim Healey of Newsday Sports (via Twitter). The move is retroactive to August 17th. The Mets do not expect McCann to miss more than the minimum amount of time, but given the specialization of the catcher position, they chose to be judicious in replacing him on the roster. Geoff Hartlieb was recalled from Triple-A.
Patrick Mazeika and Chance Sisco are already on the roster to share the catching duties in McCann’s absence. Mazeika has started behind the plate in the four games since McCann has been out. Sisco was claimed off waivers from the Orioles on June 25th.
Hartlieb was claimed off waivers from the Pirates earlier this season. The 27-year-old right-hander has struggled in small samples with both the Mets and the Pirates, tossing nine innings combined over seven appearances while allowing 11 earned runs. He was a 27th round draft pick of the Pirates back in 2016, posting solid run prevention numbers in the minors up through his debut in 2019. In parts of three seasons since, Hartlieb has logged 66 1/3 Major League innings with a 7.46 ERA, but 5.42 FIP.
Rays Expected To Activate Chris Archer On Sunday
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
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
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
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
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.