Angels Sign Brian Johnson
Left-hander Brian Johnson, who had been pitching for the Milwaukee Milkmen of the independent American Association, has signed a minor league pact with the Angels, per an announcement from the Milkmen (Twitter link).
Johnson, now 30 years old, was the No. 31 overall draft pick by the Red Sox back in 2012 and rated as one of the organization’s top pitching prospects over the next six years. The lefty dealt with shoulder, hip and elbow injuries throughout his time with the Sox, however, which combined to limit his effectiveness. He was a serviceable option with the Red Sox from 2017-18 before struggling in 2019 and ultimately going unclaimed on waivers. Boston released him in 2020, after the left-hander pitched to a 4.74 ERA in parts of four seasons at the MLB level (171 innings).
Johnson made just two appearance for the Milkmen this season, during which time he hurled five shutout innings with seven hits, no walks and eight strikeouts. He’ll presumably head to the Angels’ Salt Lake affiliate in Triple-A — a level at which he’s pitched to a 3.21 ERA with a 20.2 percent strikeout rate and a 9.0 percent walk rate over the life of 278 innings.
The Angels have had far better health in the organization in 2021 than they have in recent years. Reliever Luke Bard is currently the only pitcher on the Major League injured list for the Halos, but many of their veteran arms have struggled. Jose Quintana (7.22) and Dylan Bundy (6.68) have career-worst ERA marks, while Griffin Canning (5.07), Andrew Heaney (4.45) and Alex Cobb (4.41) have more passable but still-underwhelming results. Cobb, in particular, has had some poor luck in terms of balls in play and stranding runners, though his 21.2 K-BB% and 60.6 percent grounder rate are both excellent.
Johnson adds yet another experienced left-handed arm to an Angels organization that is deep in southpaw options. In addition to Quintana and Heaney, the club currently has Patrick Sandoval, Tony Watson, Alex Claudio and Jose Suarez on the MLB roster. Dillon Peters and Jose Quijada are both on the 40-man roster but currently in Triple-A, while Thomas Pannone and Packy Naughton give the Halos another pair of non-roster options down in Salt Lake.
Brewers Designate Zack Godley For Assignment
The Brewers announced Monday that they’ve designated right-hander Zack Godley for assignment in order to create a spot on the roster for fellow right-hander Jake Cousins, whose contract has been selected from Triple-A Nashville.
The veteran Godley has had a pair of stints with the Brewers this season but struggled in each — most recently yielding three runs in just a third of an inning at Coors Field. Godley’s production with Nashville in between MLB appearances was quite strong, as he pitched to a 2.40 ERA with a 34-to-12 K/BB ratio through 30 innings spent mostly as a starter.
Godley posted 333 1/3 innings of 4.10 ERA ball for the D-backs in 2017-18 but hasn’t managed to replicate those numbers since that time. He was hit hard to begin the 2019 season in Arizona, and while he rebounded with a solid showing out of the Jays’ bullpen late that year, his 2020 season was cut short by a season-ending flexor strain that likely contributed to last year’s poor results (8.16 ERA in 28 2/3 frames). It remains to be seen whether another club will take a chance on Godley via a small trade or a waiver claim, but the Brewers will surely be happy to hang onto the veteran pitching depth if he sticks with the organization.
As for the 26-year-old Cousins, he’ll be making his MLB debut the first time he takes the mound. The University of Pennsylvania product was a 20th-round pick by the Nats back in 2017 who landed with the Brewers in 2019 after being cut loose. He’s also spent time with a pair of independent clubs: the Frontier League’s Schaumburg Boomers and the American Association’s Chicago Dogs. Cousins has split the 2021 season between the Brewers’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, where he’s pitched to a combined 2.55 ERA in 17 2/3 innings, with a huge 41.1 percent strikeout rate against a 6.8 percent walk rate.
A’s Select Domingo Acevedo, Option Jesus Luzardo
3:15pm: The A’s officially announced the pair of moves.
2:47pm: Acevedo is indeed on his way to the big leagues, and Shayna Rubin of the San Jose Mercury News reports (via Twitter) that Jesus Luzardo is being optioned to Triple-A. Luzardo has struggled as both a starter and a reliever this season, posting a 6.87 ERA over 38 innings and surrendering 11 homers in that brief stint on the mound.
7:30am: The Athletics are planning to select the contract of reliever Domingo Acevedo, reports Robert Murray of FanSided (Twitter link). Oakland already has a vacancy on the 40-man roster, so they’ll only need to make an active roster move to accommodate his promotion.
Acevedo began his career in the Yankees organization. He didn’t sign until he was 18 years old (two years later than is typical for international amateur prospects) but he nevertheless quickly became one of the more well-regarded pitchers in the system. He drew praise for mid-high 90’s velocity and decent control but struggled to stay healthy. The 6’7″ righty spent time on the minor league injured list in each season between 2015-19, slowing his progress. Acevedo briefly earned a spot on New York’s 40-man roster but didn’t get into a major league game.
Oakland signed Acevedo to a minors deal over the winter, and he’s gotten off to a fantastic start at Triple-A Las Vegas. Despite pitching in a hitter-friendly environment, Acevedo has worked to a 2.76 ERA across 16 1/3 innings. More impressively, he’s struck out 27 of 64 batters faced (42.2%) while walking just three (4.7%). That strong showing earns him a place on the A’s roster, where he’ll be making his MLB debut if/when he gets into a game.
Royals Place Adalberto Mondesi On 10-Day IL
12:57PM: The Royals have officially announced the move, with Mondesi sent to the 10-day IL with a strained left oblique. O’Hearn has been recalled from Triple-A.
12:41PM: Royals shortstop Adalberto Mondesi looks to be going back onto the 10-day injured list with an oblique injury, GM Dayton Moore told the Kansas City Star’s Lynn Worthy (Twitter links) and other reporters. First baseman/outfielder Ryan O’Hearn will likely be the Triple-A call-up that replaces Mondesi on the active roster.
Mondesi was removed after six innings in yesterday’s 7-3 Royals victory over the Red Sox due to discomfort in his left side. This latest oblique injury is on the opposite side of the body from the other oblique strain that sidelined Mondesi at the start of the season, delaying his debut until May 25.
Between that lengthy IL stint and another trip to the injured list for a hamstring strain, Mondesi has appeared in only 10 games all season. While Mondesi has made the most of that brief playing time by posting a 1.212 OPS in 38 plate appearances, it has thus far been a lost season for the 25-year-old.
Once one of baseball’s top prospects, Mondesi has shown flashes of that potential over his 318 career MLB games, including a torrid stretch last September that saw him post a 1.130 OPS over his last 93 PA. However, Mondesi’s hot streak was tempered by a miserable .440 OPS in his first 140 PA of the 2020 season, and he has been hampered by injuries both this season and in 2019. Mondesi has already displayed strong defense, speed, and baserunning skills, so it isn’t out of the question that he could still unlock some superstar-level production with more consistent hitting and if he can just stay on the field.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/20/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball:
- The Rangers announced that right-hander Tyson Miller has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Round Rock. Texas claimed the 25-year-old from the Cubs earlier this month but designated him for assignment themselves after he made just one Triple-A appearance. Miller, who has five MLB innings under his belt (all with Chicago in 2020), has pitched well up through Double-A but struggled to a 7.26 ERA at the minors’ highest level. He doesn’t have the requisite service time to refuse an outright assignment, so he’ll remain in the Rangers organization without taking a spot on the 40-man roster.
Blue Jays To Sign John Axford
The Blue Jays are in agreement on a contract with reliever John Axford, reports Jamie Campbell of Sportsnet (Twitter link). The 38-year-old hasn’t pitched in the majors since 2018.
Axford is best known for his early-career stint with the Brewers. He pitched to a 3.35 ERA with Milwaukee between 2009-13, compiling an MLB-leading 46 saves in 2011. As he entered his 30’s, the righty became something of a journeyman. He would go on to suit up for the Cardinals, Indians, Pirates, Rockies, A’s, Blue Jays and Dodgers over the next five years.
A Canada native, Axford signed a minors pact with the Jays in 2019 but spent essentially the entire season on the minor league injured list. His hope of a comeback in 2020 was derailed by the pandemic, but he’ll now return to affiliated ball. The Blue Jays relief corps has scuffled in recent weeks, with general manager Ross Atkins telling reporters today that upgrading the bullpen is a priority. Certainly, the Axford signing won’t stop the front office from continuing to hunt for external options, but there’s little risk in adding the veteran to the organization as non-roster depth.
Twins Sign Kyle Barraclough
The Twins have signed reliever Kyle Barraclough to a minor league contract and assigned him to Triple-A St. Paul, according to an announcement from the Saints. The right-hander was released from a minors pact with the Yankees earlier this week.
Barraclough has pitched in the big leagues in parts of five MLB seasons. A one-time setup man with the Marlins, Barraclough has always missed plenty of bats. The 31-year-old has struck out a lofty 29% of opposing hitters at the big league level, generating swings and misses on an above-average 12.6% of pitches. He’s always coupled that high-end stuff with poor control, though, walking batters at a higher than average rate in every season en route to a career 14.1% mark. Barraclough’s high-strikeout, high-walk tendencies were even more extreme with the Yankees Triple-A affiliate this year; he punched out 43.6% of batters while walking 20.0% across 14 innings of 3.21 ERA ball with Scranton/Wilkes-Barre.
The 31-year-old Barraclough couldn’t crack a Yankees bullpen that has been among the league’s best, but there seems to be an easier path to the majors in Minnesota. Twins relievers have compiled a 4.89 ERA that ranks just 26th leaguewide. The Minnesota bullpen has been middle-of-the-pack in terms of strikeout/walk rate differential (15.2 percentage points) and SIERA (3.86).
Giants Reinstate John Brebbia, Move Aaron Sanchez To 60-Day IL
Just over a year removed from Tommy John surgery, John Brebbia is back in the majors, as the Giants announced that the right-hander has been reinstated from the 60-day injured list. Left-hander Conner Menez was optioned to Triple-A after yesterday’s game to open a spot on San Francisco’s active roster, while righty Aaron Sanchez was moved to the 60-day IL to create room for Brebbia on the 40-man roster.
Brebbia’s TJ procedure took place on June 3, 2020, so he has returned to action quicker than expected considering the normal 13-to-15 month recovery period. Brebbia hasn’t pitched in a big league game since he threw two-thirds of an inning for the Cardinals in Game 3 of the 2019 NLCS against the Nationals.
The Cards decided to non-tender Brebbia in December rather than pay a projected $800K in Brebbia’s first year of arbitration eligibility, and the Giants stepped in to sign the righty for a one-year deal worth $800K in guaranteed money. Since Brebbia is arb-controlled through the 2023 season, the Giants rolled the dice on a long-term investment in a reliever who looked good over his first three MLB seasons.
Originally a 30th-round pick for the Yankees in the 2011 draft, Brebbia played in the minors and in the independent leagues before St. Louis selected him away from the Diamondbacks in the minor league version of 2015 Rule 5 Draft. That ended up being a tremendous pick for the Cardinals, as Brebbia posted a 3.14 ERA/3.61 SIERA, 27.4% strikeout rate, and 7.5% walk rate over 175 relief innings from 2017-19.
Sanchez has already been on the injured list since May 8 due to biceps inflammation, but the shift to the 60-day IL is a discouraging sign considering that he was already on a minor league rehab assignment. The other troubling aspect is that the biceps injury may no longer be Sanchez’s chief concern, as he left his most recent outing after only 50 pitches due to a blister on his throwing hand. Blister problems in 2017 were the first of many injuries that have sidetracked Sanchez’s career over the last four-plus years, though it appeared he was putting things together after signing with the Giants in the offseason. Sanchez had a 3.18 ERA/4.26 SIERA over 28 1/3 innings before his biceps problem surfaced.
Rockies Place Austin Gomber On 10-Day IL Due To Forearm Tightness
TODAY: Gomber has been placed on the 10-day injured list, the team announced. In corresponding roster moves, righty Joe Harvey‘s contract was selected from Triple-A, while right-hander Jordan Sheffield was moved to the 60-day IL.
JUNE 19: Rockies left-hander Austin Gomber left tonight’s start after two innings due to left forearm tightness, the team announced. The removal was made “for precautionary reasons,” specifically. Gomber stayed in the game long enough to make a plate appearance in the bottom of the second inning, dropping down a sacrifice bunt. (MLB.com’s Thomas Harding noted that Jhoulys Chacin was already warming up in Colorado’s bullpen before Gomber’s at-bat, so it doesn’t appear as though the injury occurred while Gomber was at the plate.)
Injuries have already led to one big setback in Gomber’s career, as he missed the entire 2019 season due to shoulder and biceps problems. A forearm issue is naturally of major concern, and it could be that the Rockies were simply acting as quickly as possible in removing Gomber at the first hint of trouble.
The 27-year-old Gomber carried an outsized spotlight entering the season, as he was the only player with MLB experience amongst the four-player package the Rockies received from the Cardinals in the Nolan Arenado trade. Colorado fans were notably displeased about pretty much every facet of that deal, though Gomber’s recent numbers have provided a silver lining. After a slow start to the season, Gomber had caught fire, posting a 1.28 ERA over his last seven starts and 42 1/3 innings heading into tonight’s outing against the Brewers.
Gomber is under team control through the 2025 season, giving the Rockies either a rotation building block or potentially even a future trade chip (i.e. not at this year’s trade deadline) depending on whether or not the team embarks on a wide-scale rebuild. A serious forearm injury, of course, would interrupt either of those scenarios.
Tigers Release Wilson Ramos
TODAY: The Tigers have requested unconditional release waivers on Ramos, the team announced.
TUESDAY: The Tigers have designated catcher Wilson Ramos and righty Beau Burrows for assignment, according to a club announcement. That opens up 40-man roster spots for additions Wily Peralta and Miguel Del Pozo, moves covered in this post.
Ramos, 33, is a 12-year Major League veteran. The Tigers signed him to a one-year, $2MM deal back in January, and Ramos started the majority of the team’s games at catcher until going on the shelf on May 7th with a back injury. Ramos started strong, with six home runs in his first nine games. However, Eric Haase and Jake Rogers have proven themselves capable. The 28-year-old Haase, who was removed from the Tigers’ 40-man roster back in January, has already blasted eight home runs in 100 plate appearances.
Ramos has had a long, successful career, with his finest years coming as a member of the Nationals. He’s generally been regarded as a bat-first catcher, and posted a 105 wRC+ over a career-high 141 games for the 2019 Mets. He’s reached double-digit home runs in nine different seasons and has a pair of All-Star appearances under his belt.
Burrows, 24, was drafted 22nd overall by the Tigers back in 2015 out of high school, two spots ahead of Walker Buehler. Not long after that, Burrows was rated as a 60-grade prospect by Baseball America. Though he wasn’t particularly successful in the high minors, prior to this season BA still gave Burrows a 45 grade, saying, “Without a true out pitch, it’s hard to project Burrows as much more than a low-leverage reliever.” Unfortunately, the most memorable part of Burrows’ lone MLB outing this season was his vomiting on the pitching mound.