Minor MLB Transactions: 7/16/21
Today’s minor moves:
- The Reds transferred infielder Alex Blandino from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list before this evening’s game against the Brewers. The move created 40-man roster space for the previously reported activation of right-hander Michael Lorenzen from the 60-day IL. Blandino was placed on the IL on June 6 with a fractured right hand. Today’s transfer rules him out until the first week of August at the earliest.
COVID Notes: 7/16/21
The latest coronavirus-related news around baseball:
- Before this afternoon’s doubleheader agains the Phillies, the Marlins placed outfielder Jesús Sánchez on the COVID-19 injured list. It’s not clear whether he tested positive for the virus; players can also land on the IL for experiencing symptoms or for viral exposure. Sánchez is hitting a solid .265/.315/.434 through 89 plate appearances this season.
- The Phillies reinstated reliever Bailey Falter from the COVID-19 injured list this afternoon. The southpaw landed on the IL as part of contact tracing efforts last weekend after third baseman Alec Bohm tested positive for the coronavirus. Falter has tallied 17 2/3 innings of multi-inning relief across eight appearances this season.
Blue Jays Designate Joel Payamps For Assignment
Before this evening’s game against the Rangers, the Blue Jays designated reliever Joel Payamps for assignment. The move cleared roster space for the reinstatement of fellow bullpen arm Ryan Borucki from the 60-day injured list.
Payamps’ designation comes as a bit of a surprise, as the righty has worked to a 2.70 ERA across 30 innings this season. That’s the second-best mark of the seven Jays’ relievers who have tossed 20+ frames this year. Payamps’ fielding independent metrics don’t quite support that level of run prevention. His 18.5% strikeout rate is well below the 24.5% league average for relievers, while his 9.9% walk percentage is fine but unspectacular.
That said, Payamps has generated swinging strikes at a fine 11.6% clip, so it’s fair to assume he could strike out a few more batters moving forward. He’s also been one of the game’s best pitchers at avoiding hard contact, and he can be optioned for the remainder of the season. Between his performance and roster flexibility, it wouldn’t be a surprise if Payamps drew interest from other clubs via trade or waiver claim. Toronto will have a week to trade him or expose him to the wire.
Borucki has been out since early May with a flexor strain in his forearm. Before going down with injury, the southpaw pitched to a 4.05 ERA/3.25 SIERA over 13 2/3 innings.
Rockies Place Four Players On COVID-19 Injured List
The Rockies announced they’ve placed four players — Antonio Senzatela, Jhoulys Chacín, Yency Almonte and Yonathan Daza — on the COVID-19 injured list. Left-hander Ben Bowden, outfielder Sam Hilliard and righty Antonio Santos have been recalled from Triple-A Albuquerque, while reliever Zac Rosscup was selected to the major league roster. Additionally, manager Bud Black and first base coach Ron Gideon have been ruled out for tonight’s game against the Dodgers as part of contact tracing efforts.
Placement on the COVID-19 list does not signify that all four of the players involved have tested positive. Players can land on the IL for feeling viral symptoms or for exposure to the virus.
Rosscup was selected to the roster as a COVID replacement player. Under the 2021 health and safety protocols, he can be removed from the 40-man without being exposed to waivers upon the return of one of the players he’s been selected to replace. The 33-year-old southpaw has a 5.16 ERA/3.80 SIERA in parts of six big league seasons. He’s been almost unhittable this year in Triple-A, pitching to a 0.52 ERA over 17 1/3 frames with an excellent 37.3% strikeout rate.
Red Sox Designate Austin Brice For Assignment
The Red Sox announced they’ve designated reliever Austin Brice for assignment. The move clears 40-man roster space for the previously-reported promotion of top outfield prospect Jarren Duran.
It’s the second time this season the Sox have designated Brice for assignment. The righty passed through waivers in May and remained in the organization. Between his pair of big league stints, Brice has made 13 appearances and tossed 13 2/3 innings of 6.59 ERA ball with subpar strikeout and walk rates (18.8% and 10.9%, respectively). It’s the second consecutive down year for Brice, who joined Boston on the heels of a solid 2019 campaign with the Marlins.
The Red Sox will have a week to trade Brice or expose him to waivers. He accepted an outright assignment after clearing waivers two months ago, but rejecting that assignment would’ve meant forfeiting the remainder of his $870K salary. Should he pass through outright waivers a second time in his career, Brice could elect free agency while still collecting all of his remaining guaranteed money.
Giants Select Jay Jackson
The Giants announced this afternoon they’re selecting the contract of reliever Jay Jackson. To create space on the 40-man roster, San Francisco transferred third baseman Evan Longoria from the 10-day to the 60-day injured list. To create active roster space, infielder Jason Vosler was optioned to Triple-A Sacramento.
Additionally, staff ace Kevin Gausman has been placed on the family medical emergency list. Righty Logan Webb was recalled to start tonight’s game against the Cardinals in his place.
Jackson returns to the majors for the first time since 2019. That year, he made 28 appearances out of the Brewers bullpen. Across 30 1/3 innings, the hard-throwing righty pitched to a 4.45 ERA/3.57 SIERA. Jackson showed legitimate swing-and-miss stuff, racking up whiffs on 17.7% of his offerings and striking out hitters at a fantastic 35.6% clip. He also had some obvious control issues, though, walking 13.6% of batters faced that season.
The 33-year-old spent part of the 2020 campaign with the Chiba Lotte Mariners of Japan’s Nippon Professional Baseball before returning to the U.S. last summer. He signed a minors deal with San Francisco in January and has earned his way back to the big leagues with a fantastic start to the season in Sacramento. Jackson has made eight appearances with the River Cats and tossed eleven scoreless innings, punching out a whopping 48.6% of opponents against a minuscule 2.7% walk rate.
Longoria landed on the IL on June 6 with a left shoulder sprain. He’s now ineligible to come back until 60 days have passed since that original placement — not today’s transfer date — so he can return during the first week of August. It seems there’s some chance he’ll do so, as manager Gabe Kapler told reporters (including Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle) that Longoria’s doing well in his recovery. It has been an incredible bounceback season for the 35-year-old, who is hitting .280/.376/.516 over 186 plate appearances.
Braves Place Ian Anderson On Injured List
The Braves announced today that right-hander Ian Anderson has been placed on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to July 13, with right shoulder inflammation. To replace him on the active roster, righty Touki Toussaint has been reinstated from the 60-day IL. Touissant will rejoin the 40-man roster, which had a vacancy but is now full.
An IL stint for Anderson has seemed likely for a few days, as manager Brian Snitker said earlier this week he was headed for further testing after experiencing some shoulder tightness. The diagnosis of inflammation rather than any sort of structural damage is certainly a relief, but Snitker told reporters (including Mark Bowman of MLB.com) he’d be shut down from throwing for seven to ten days.
Anderson hasn’t pitched at the superlative level of his 2020 rookie season, but he’s still having a solid campaign. The 23-year-old has worked 96 innings of 3.56 ERA/4.14 SIERA ball with strikeout and walk rates (24.3% and 9.7%, respectively) not far from league average.
It seems Toussaint will step into Anderson’s spot in the rotation, as Snitker said he’s scheduled to get the ball for next Tuesday’s game against the Padres (via David O’Brien of the Athletic). That’ll mark his season debut, as the 25-year-old landed on the IL at the end of Spring Training due to a shoulder strain. Toussaint tossed 95 innings between 2018-20, managing a 5.97 ERA with an average 24.3% strikeout percentage but an elevated 14.3% walk rate.
Athletics Designate Frank Schwindel For Assignment
The A’s announced they’ve reinstated first baseman Mitch Moreland from the COVID-19 injured list. To open space on the active and 40-man rosters, fellow first baseman Frank Schwindel has been designated for assignment.
Moreland landed on the COVID IL on July 4. The left-handed hitter now returns to his designated hitter/first base role, where he’s been a bit disappointing to this point. Moreland is hitting .238/.286/.388 with six home runs across 175 plate appearances this season, a downturn from his .265/.342/.551 mark split between the Red Sox and Padres in 2020.
Schwindel was selected to the big league roster late last month. He struggled in a very brief look of twenty plate appearances before being removed. Oakland will now have a week to trade the 29-year-old or expose him to waivers. Schwindel has very little big league experience under his belt, but the right-handed hitter has mashed at a .317/.362/.630 clip with sixteen homers over 207 plate appearances with Triple-A Las Vegas this season.
Yankees Select Three Players, Place Luke Voit On Injured List
The Yankees announced a series of roster moves before this evening’s game against the Red Sox. New York selected the contracts of outfielder Greg Allen, catcher Rob Brantly and infielder Hoy Jun Park (previously reported). As expected, All-Star outfielder Aaron Judge, third baseman Gio Urshela and catcher Kyle Higashioka landed on the COVID-19 injured list. (Manager Aaron Boone implied this afternoon all three players had tested positive for the virus as part of its spread within the Yankees clubhouse).
Additionally, first baseman Luke Voit has been placed on the 10-day IL, retroactive to July 13, with left knee inflammation. Fellow first baseman Chris Gittens was recalled from Triple-A Scranton/Wilkes-Barre to take his active roster spot.
Allen and Brantly each have a decent amount of big league experience, although neither has played in the majors to this point in 2021. Allen, a switch-hitting outfielder, suited up for the Indians and Padres between 2017-20. He’s only managed a tepid .239/.298/.343 line across 618 MLB plate appearances, but he’s an elite runner capable of covering all three outfield spots. The 28-year-old has had a strong season with Scranton, hitting .272/.409/.369 over 128 trips to the dish, drawing 15 walks and rather remarkably reaching base via hit-by-pitch nine times.
Brantly, a lefty-hitting backstop, has appeared in parts of six major league seasons for four different clubs. He appeared in one game with the Giants last year but hasn’t accrued more than 36 MLB plate appearances in any single season since 2013. The 32-year-old has hit a stellar .270/.391/.477 with six homers in 133 plate appearances with the RailRiders this year and will be on hand as Gary Sánchez’s backup while Higashioka is on the shelf.
As part of the 2021 health and safety protocols, players selected to the big league roster as replacements for players landing on the COVID-19 injured list can be removed from the 40-man roster without being exposed to waivers. Thus, each of Allen, Brantly and Park can be taken off the 40-man and returned to Scranton without being offered to other teams upon the returns of Judge, Urshela and Higashioka.
Voit’s IL placement is unrelated to the Yankees’ COVID-19 situation. It’s the third stint of the season for the slugging first baseman, who’s had a disappointing 2021 campaign because of health woes. The diagnosis of left knee inflammation is particularly alarming since Voit began the season on the IL after undergoing surgery to repair a meniscus tear in the area. (His second stint was due to an oblique strain). Voit will undergo a lubricating injection and is looking at potential platelet-rich plasma treatment, Boone told reporters (including Bryan Hoch of MLB.com). The team didn’t provide a timetable for his return, but it seems he could be looking at another significant absence given the skipper’s comments.
That should leave first base to Gittens, who was selected to the roster during Voit’s second IL stint earlier this year. The 27-year-old didn’t perform well over his first 25 MLB plate appearances, but he’s had a downright monstrous season in Triple-A. The right-handed hitting slugger has mashed at a .359/.519/.718 clip across 104 plate appearances with the RailRiders this year.
Mets Designate Billy McKinney For Assignment
The Mets announced they’ve designated outfielder Billy McKinney for assignment. The move creates active and 40-man roster space for third baseman J.D. Davis, who has been resinated from the 60-day injured list as expected.
New York acquired McKinney from the Brewers in late May amidst a series of injuries in the outfield. Between the two teams, the left-handed hitter has picked up 202 plate appearances and compiled a .213/.282/.415 line with eight home runs. That’s right in line with his career .225/.288/.430 mark (91 wRC+) over parts of four seasons at the big league level. McKinney has flashed some of the power potential that once made him a fairly well-regarded prospect, but he’s been a little too prone to strikeouts (26.3% career rate) and hasn’t drawn enough walks (7.8%) to cement himself as a regular corner outfield option for clubs to this point in his career.
New York will have a week to trade McKinney or expose him to waivers. He’s out of minor league option years, so any team that acquires the 26-year-old would have to keep him on the active roster or again make him available to other teams.