Phillies Sign Cam Bedrosian
The Phillies have signed reliever Cam Bedrosian to a minor league contract, Matt Breen of the Philadelphia Inquirer was among those to relay. He’ll be assigned to Triple-A Lehigh Valley.
Bedrosian will be joining his third organization of the year. After spending 2014-20 with the Angels, he signed with the Reds over the winter. His six appearances with Cincinnati were disastrous, though, and the Reds cut him loose. Bedrosian hooked on with the A’s and performed better over nine games in the Bay Area, but Oakland nevertheless designated him for assignment last week. After clearing waivers for the second time this season, the veteran righty elected free agency.
Philadelphia seems to be a good landing spot for Bedrosian to work his way back to the majors relatively quickly. For the second consecutive season, the Phils have had a nightmarish time late in games. Phillies relievers rank 25th in ERA (4.92) and have blow a league-worst 22 leads, despite a 3.89 SIERA that’s hovering right around league average. The Phils have had particular issues in the ninth inning, leading to a recent shakeup in the closer role.
Because of his disastrous start with Cincinnati, Bedrosian’s sitting on a 5.52 ERA/4.93 SIERA across 14 2/3 innings this year. His more recent work with Oakland was adequate, though, and Bedrosian brings a rather strong track record to the Philadelphia system. He was one of the top relievers in baseball back in 2016, when he tossed 40 1/3 frames of 1.12 ERA ball. His work over the past few seasons has been closer to average; he posted a 3.41 ERA with a slightly below-average 22.5% strikeout rate and a typical 9.2% walk percentage between 2018-20.
Even a return to his competent but not overwhelming form of the past couple years would be a boon to a Phillies bullpen looking for answers to their recurring struggles. In an interesting coincidence, Bedrosian’s father Steve played for the Phillies from 1986-89, winning the 1987 NL Cy Young award.
Pirates Sign Dee Strange-Gordon To Minors Deal
The Pirates have signed infielder Dee Strange-Gordon to a minor league contract, ESPN’s Jeff Passan reports (Twitter link). Strange-Gordon will report to Pittsburgh’s Triple-A affiliate.
As Passan notes, Strange-Gordon has made it almost a full circuit around the NL Central within the last five months, after previously being released from minor league deals with the Reds and Brewers, and then he opted out of a minors contract with the Cubs just yesterday. All of this movement hasn’t resulted in any MLB playing time for Strange-Gordon, though a more clear path back to the majors might exist in the Steel City.
The Pirates have seen their infield depth considerably thinned within the last week, with Colin Moran, Erik Gonzalez, and Phillip Evans all placed on the 10-day injured list. Gregory Polanco‘s own IL stint (due to a bilateral adductor strain) has further subtracted from the position player mix, and Strange-Gordon did accumulate some outfield experience in his three seasons with the Mariners. While the rebuilding Pirates are more prone to take a look at younger players than a veteran like Strange-Gordon, he can at least provide some depth in the event of any more injuries, or perhaps if any Pittsburgh players are moved prior to the July 30 trade deadline.
While it has been some time since Strange-Gordon was even a league-average hitter, he does offer some multi-positional versatility as a shortstop, second baseman, and outfielder. Even as his batting declined over three seasons with Seattle, Strange-Gordon was still a threat on the basepaths, going 22-for-27 in stolen base attempts as recently as 2019.
Rays Place Manuel Margot On 10-Day IL, Activate Josh Fleming
1:50PM: In preparation for the second half of the doubleheader, the Rays have optioned Sherriff back to Triple-A and activated left-hander Josh Fleming from the 10-day IL. Fleming will work as the bulk pitcher in the second game, behind opener Collin McHugh. After a right calf strain sent Fleming to the injured list on June 26, the southpaw will return after missing just slightly beyond the 10-day minimum.
9:22AM: The estimated recovery timeline is 2-3 weeks, Margot told Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times.
8:47AM: The Rays have placed outfielder Manuel Margot on the 10-day injured list due to a left hamstring strain, the team announced. The placement is retroactive to July 6. Left-hander Ryan Sherriff was called up from Triple-A to take Margot’s roster spot, and the Rays also officially promoted star prospect Vidal Brujan as the 27th man for today’s doubleheader with the Indians.
Margot suffered his injury while legging out an infield single in the ninth inning of Monday’s game, a 9-8 Tampa Bay victory over Cleveland. It was a sour end to a 4-for-4 night for Margot, who is now hitting .252/.297/.404 with nine homers over 290 plate appearances in 2021. Since the Rays have an off-day tomorrow and the All-Star break is looming, Margot won’t miss much actual game time if his IL stint is a minimal one.
The 26-year-old Margot delivered some big hits during the Rays’ 2020 playoff run, though he generated slightly below-average (94 OPS+) offense over his two seasons with the Rays. While his bat has been inconsistent, Margot’s strong baserunning, defense, and ability to play all three outfield positions has made him a key contributor to Tampa’s roster. With Margot sidelined, Brandon Lowe might see more time in the outfield, joining the mix of Randy Arozarena, Kevin Kiermaier, Austin Meadows, and backup Brett Phillips. This would provide Brujan will more of an opportunity in the infield, though the Rays will continue to juggle their roster to give everyone playing time as warranted.
Brewers Designate Daniel Robertson For Assignment
The Brewers announced that utilityman Daniel Robertson has been designated for assignment. Teams have seven days to claim Robertson or work out a trade with Milwaukee for the 27-year-old’s services, which is what happened last August when the Giants acquired Robertson in a deal with the Rays during Robertson’s first trip to DFA limbo.
It wouldn’t be a surprise to see Robertson on the move again, given how his versatility can help a team’s bench. Robertson has played all four infield positions for the Brew Crew this season, and also has a few games as an outfielder on his career resume. While Robertson has shown flashes of productivity at the plate during his five MLB seasons, his multi-positional usage has become his calling card, as he has only a .227/.338/.345 slash line over 945 plate appearances in the Show.
Once a top-100 prospect during his time in Tampa’s farm system, Robertson’s quest to fulfill that potential was stalled by injuries, as he really hasn’t hit much since a thumb injury that prematurely ended his 2018 season. The Brewers signed Robertson to a one-year Major League deal worth $900K in the offseason, and he ended up appearing in 50 games while filling the holes left open by several injuries within Milwaukee’s infield.
These injury problems are ongoing, and it makes the timing of Robertson’s DFA a tad curious considering that Kolten Wong, Daniel Vogelbach, and Travis Shaw are all still on the injured list. However, the Brewers did recently call up another utility type in Pablo Reyes, while Kevin Kramer was acquired as minor league depth in a trade with the Pirates. The Brewers seemingly feel that Jace Peterson (currently the fill-in second baseman) and Reyes can handle utility infield duty once Wong is back in action.
Tigers Make Four Roster Moves
The Tigers made a quartet of roster moves today, including the reinstatement of utilityman Niko Goodrum from the 10-day injured list. Goodrum will replace Daz Cameron, who is headed to the 10-day IL (retroactive to July 5) due to a right toe sprain. Left-hander Ian Krol will join the roster after his contract was selected from Triple-A, and righty Spencer Turnbull was moved to the 60-day IL to accommodate Krol on the 40-man roster.
Turnbull’s situation appears somewhat ominous, as Tigers manager A.J. Hinch told The Detroit News’ Chris McCosky and other reporters that the right-hander had a setback in his recovery from a forearm strain. That injury was initially thought to be a relatively minor muscular issue rather than a structural problem within Turnbull’s forearm, but he will now undergo further examination. The 60-day IL timeframe begins from the start of Turnbull’s first placement on the 10-day IL, though while he’ll be able to return to Detroit’s rotation in early August, even that target date seems fluid if a more serious forearm problem is detected.
Goodrum hit the injured list on June 19 due to a tendon injury within his finger, which seemed concerning enough that Hinch said Goodrum was planning to consult with several hand specialists. Fortunately, Goodrum has been able to return to the lineup after only a few weeks, and he will now return in his old utilityman role, Hinch said. Goodrum has mostly worked as the Tigers’ starting shortstop for the last two seasons, and the more regular usage led to a marked dropoff in his production at the plate after roughly league-average numbers in 2018-19.
Krol hasn’t pitched in the majors since a single appearance with the Angels during the 2018 season, as the southpaw bounced around on minor league contracts with the Mets, Reds, Twins, and Tigers (plus a stint in independent ball last season) before finally getting another crack at the big leagues this season. Krol has a 4.50 ERA over 190 career MLB innings from 2013-18, which included 60 2/3 innings in a prior stint with Detroit in 2014-15.
Twins Reinstate Michael Pineda From Injured List
The Twins have reinstated Michael Pineda from the 10-day injured list, and the right-hander is scheduled to start this afternoon’s game with the White Sox. Righty Griffin Jax was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
Right elbow inflammation sidelined Pineda back on June 14, though fortunately his elbow issue ended up being relatively minor enough for him to get back to action prior to the All-Star break. (Pineda also had a minimal IL stint in May after a minor procedure to remove an abscess from his thigh.) It also provides time for Pineda to essentially audition for other teams, since the Twins are going to be selling at the trade deadline and Pineda is a free agent after the season.
In terms of bottom-line numbers, Pineda has a solid 3.70 ERA/4.23 SIERA over 56 innings for Minnesota. Pineda has always been good at limiting walks through his career, and his 6.5% walk rate in 2021 is comfortably above the league average. Beyond that, however, there isn’t much to like about Pineda’s Statcast metrics, and his .343 xwOBA is much higher than his .299 xOBA. There are enough teams looking for starting pitchers, however, that Pineda will surely draw interest, and likely some teams will suspect that his overall performance might turn around with a change of scenery.
White Sox Designate Adam Eaton For Assignment
The White Sox have designated outfielder Adam Eaton for assignment, the team announced. The move clears a roster space for another outfielder in Adam Engel, who was activated off the 10-day injured list.
Eaton only just returned from the IL himself earlier this week, after missing two weeks with a hamstring strain. However, the White Sox had clearly seen enough from Eaton after he hit only .201/.298/.344 over 219 plate appearances, marking his second straight year of subpar offensive production after a similarly lackluster season with the Nationals in 2020.
That said, it still counts as a bit of a surprise to see the White Sox so abruptly cut ties with Eaton, in part because of the team is still so shorthanded in the outfield with Luis Robert and Eloy Jimenez both still on the injured list. Until those stars return (or unless the Sox make a notable trade deadline addition), Chicago will go with a mix of Engel, Andrew Vaughn, Brian Goodwin, Gavin Sheets, Billy Hamilton, and utilitymen Leury Garcia and Danny Mendick as their outfield options.
Beyond the immediate on-field impact, the Sox will now almost surely have to eat the remainder of Eaton’s contract. The outfielder inked a one-year deal worth $8MM in guaranteed money ($7MM salary, $1MM buyout of an $8.5MM club option for 2022) during the offseason, and while Eaton didn’t play well in 2020, it wasn’t a bad investment for the White Sox to make considering his above-average play over the majority of this career. Since it seems quite unlikely that another team will claim Eaton off DFA waivers and absorb the rest of his salary, Chicago’s front office will have to chalk the signing up as a misfire.
While many fans wished for a more substantive outfield addition last winter, the club’s plan of having Robert, Jimenez, and an Eaton/Engel platoon in the outfield (with Vaughn in the wings as an outfield/first base/DH candidate) seemed at least decent on paper, though injuries quickly altered the situation. The White Sox have still build a big lead in the AL Central even despite all their injury woes, but the outfield clearly seems like an area of need heading into the trade deadline.
Since another team would only have to pay Eaton the prorated minimum salary, it seems probable that the veteran will land somewhere else once he clears DFA waivers and is cut loose by the White Sox. Speculatively, a return to Washington might not be out of the question, as the Nationals are in need of outfield help with Kyle Schwarber sidelined by a hamstring injury.
Braves Option William Contreras, Select Jonathan Lucroy
The Braves made a change behind the plate, optioning catcher William Contreras to Triple-A and selecting the contract of veteran backstop Jonathan Lucroy. To create 40-man roster space for Lucroy, southpaw Grant Dayton was moved to the 60-day injured list.
With Travis d’Arnaud injured for much of the season and not expected back until August, the Braves have gotten sub-replacement level production from the catching position this season, ranking 29th of 30 teams in catcher bWAR. Contreras initially looked good after being called up from Triple-A, but his bat cooled off, leaving the 23-year-old with a modest .204/.278/.387 slash line and seven home runs in 158 plate appearances.
It’s probably safe to assume that Contreras will be recalled at some point this season, perhaps as soon as he gets his timing back and strings together some good games at the plate for Triple-A Gwinnett. In the interim, Atlanta will make do at catcher with the veteran combo of Lucroy and Kevan Smith, and Alex Jackson is also on a rehab assignment after missing two months with a strained hamstring and an injured finger.
Lucroy inked a minor league deal with the Braves in May, about a month after he chose free agency rather than accept an outright assignment to the Nationals’ alternate training site. Lucroy appeared in five games with Washington this season and one game with the Red Sox in 2020, and it has now been several seasons since the former All-Star has been a significant force in a lineup.
Until Jackson is ready to return, Lucroy and Smith could essentially be competing to see who remains on the MLB roster, though Atlanta could also opt to keep the two veterans on hand and keep the less-experienced Jackson at Triple-A. While d’Arnaud’s return should theoretically stabilize matters, the Braves could certainly look to acquire catching help at the trade deadline, adding some depth in case d’Arnaud has a setback.
Indians Place Eddie Rosario On 10-Day IL, Select DJ Johnson
The Indians announced a series of moves prior to today’s doubleheader with the Rays, including the placement of outfielder Eddie Rosario on the 10-day injured list due to a right abdominal strain. Left-hander Logan Allen was also optioned to Triple-A. To fill these roster spots, the Tribe selected the contract of right-hander DJ Johnson from Triple-A and called up outfielder Daniel Johnson and infielder Owen Miller (for the doubleheader, Miller will serve as the 27th man). To create 40-man roster space for Johnson, Josh Naylor was shifted to the 60-day injured list in the wake of his recent leg surgery.
Rosario has been bothered by abdominal issues for the last week, and after he was an early removal from Monday’s game, an IL placement was deemed necessary to give the outfielder a chance to fully heal. With a .309/.330/.489 slash line over his last 100 plate appearances, Rosario is finally starting to heat up at the plate, and his absence will remove another bat from the struggling Cleveland lineup.
Signed to a one-year, $8MM free agent deal last winter, Rosario’s first two months with the Tribe were rough, resulting in an overall .254/.296/.389 slash line in 306 PA despite his success over the last four weeks. The dropoff in slugging is of particular concern, as Rosario was (if anything) a power-first player during the previous four seasons with the Twins. Since Rosario has never posted good hard-hit ball numbers or taken many walks, the lack of power has curtailed Rosario’s offensive production, though his numbers in June provide some hope that he can get on track in the second half of the season.
A platoon of Daniel Johnson and Oscar Mercado could be the Tribe’s top option to fill in for Rosario in the outfield, and even if Rosario is able to return from the IL pretty quickly, it’s fair to assume that Cleveland will continue to explore trading for an outfielder as the deadline approaches. The Indians are 42-40 but still within striking distance of the postseason, 6.5 games behind the White Sox in the AL Central and 4.5 games back of a wild card berth. Between a lack of hitting and a bunch of injuries within the rotation, however, the Cleveland front office has a lot of needs to address while at the same time keeping payroll in check and (as always) keeping an eye towards the future. If the team slumps over the next two weeks, the Tribe’s deadline activity is likely to lean more towards selling than buying, though the Indians have often tried to accomplish both goals in multi-player trades over the last few years.
DJ Johnson inked a minor league deal over the winter, and now looks on the verge of his first big league action since the 2019 season. After posting a 4.88 ERA over 31 1/3 innings with the Rockies in 2018-19, Johnson played in Japan in 2020, and was also in the mix for a spot on the U.S. Olympic baseball team at the upcoming Summer Games.
Nationals Sign Nick Goody To Minors Contract
The Nationals signed right-hander Nick Goody to a minor league contract. Goody was released from another minors deal with the Yankees earlier this week, but his stint in free agency didn’t last long, and he’ll now head to Triple-A Rochester.
A veteran of six MLB seasons, Goody has yet to see any big league action in 2021, tossing 22 innings for the Yankees’ Triple-A affiliate. The righty has some very nice numbers (2.86 ERA, 36.5% strikeout rate, 8.23% walk rate) over those 22 frames, making him an intriguing signing for a Nationals team still missing several key relievers due to injury.
Goody is perhaps best known for his solid work in the Indians bullpen in 2017 and 2019, though he followed up those two seasons with injury-marred campaigns in 2018 and 2020. Last season was spent in Texas, after the Rangers claimed Goody off Cleveland’s roster, but the right-hander battled back spasms and posted only a 9.00 ERA over 11 innings.