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.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/20/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Blue Jays reinstated Teoscar Hernandez from the paternity list, optioned outfielder Jared Hoying to Triple-A to make room for Hernandez on the active list. After welcoming his second child into the world, Hernandez will return to the Toronto lineup on Father’s Day and look to keep rolling at the plate (.298/.346/.485 with 10 homers in 214 PA). Hoying’s contract was selected to the Jays roster to take Hernandez’s spot on Thursday, and Hoying appeared in two games, marking his first MLB action since the 2017 season as a member of the Rangers.
Cubs Select Kyle Ryan, Designate Robert Stock
The Cubs announced a trio of roster moves this morning, including the news that left-hander Kyle Ryan‘s contract has been selected from Triple-A. To create roster space for Ryan, righty Cory Abbott was optioned to Triple-A and right-hander Robert Stock was designated for assignment.
Ryan returns to the active roster after being DFA’ed and then outrighted to Triple-A earlier this season. After being a major part of Chicago’s bullpen in 2019, Ryan struggled to a 5.17 ERA over 15 2/3 innings in 2020, thanks in large part to six homers allowed in that brief amount of work. However, the southpaw has given up only one homer in 21 1/3 combined innings for the Cubs and at Triple-A Iowa this year — while another small sample size, it looks like Ryan has gotten his homer problem under control.
He’ll be a fresh arm for a Chicago bullpen that also features three other lefties (Andrew Chafin, Brad Wieck, Rex Brothers), and Ryan will also contribute to a Cubs pitching staff that has prioritized keeping the ball on the ground this season. The Cubs rank fourth in the majors in pitcher groundball rate, and Ryan has a 54.5% grounder rate over his seven MLB seasons.
Stock was only selected to the active roster earlier this week, and he allowed five runs over four innings in a spot start — his first start in 53 career games in the big leagues. The Cubs claimed Stock off waivers from the Red Sox in December and already designated him and outrighted him off the 40-man earlier this season, so Stock has the option to elect free agency.
Mets Select Jerad Eickhoff, Designate Mason Williams
The Mets have selected the contract of right-hander Jerad Eickhoff. Outfielder Mason Williams was designated for assignment to create space on the 26-man and 40-man rosters.
Eickhoff signed a minor league deal in December that will now pay him $1.5MM for reaching the big league roster. The righty (who turns 31 in July) has spent his entire MLB career in the NL East, having pitched with the Phillies from 2015-19 and initially looking like he could be a solid member of the rotation. Injuries overshadowed Eickhoff’s last three years in Philadelphia, however, and after being cut loose by the team, he inked minors contracts with the Padres and Rangers in 2020 but didn’t see any big league action.
After a doubleheader against the Nationals yesterday and another doubleheader set for Monday against the Braves, the Mets will give Eickhoff a quick opportunity to take the ball. Eickhoff could receive a start in one of Monday’s two games, unless he is needed to relief duty in today’s game against Washington. Since New York has yet another doubleheader coming up on Friday against the Phillies, Eickhoff might find himself in line for another outing over that weekend series against his old team. Joey Lucchesi just went on the 10-day IL, leaving the Mets a little shorthanded for pitching depth during this busy week.
Williams hit .212/.297/.333 in 37 plate appearances after his contract was selected by New York in late May. Once a top prospect coming up in the Yankees’ farm system, Williams has only played sparingly over parts of seven MLB seasons with the Yankees, Reds, Orioles, and this year’s action with the Mets.
Nationals Select Gerardo Parra, Designate Ben Braymer
The Nationals have selected the contract of outfielder Gerardo Parra from Triple-A. Parra will take the active roster spot of infielder Luis Garcia, who was optioned to Triple-A after last night’s game. Left-hander Ben Braymer was designated for assignment to open up 40-man roster space.
After playing in Japan with the Yomiuri Giants in 2020, Parra made his return to Washington by signing a minor league deal with the Nats in the offseason. The 34-year-old will now officially return to the big leagues and receive a salute from D.C. fans for his contributions to the Nationals’ 2019 World Series championship club. After originally joining the Nats on a free agent deal in May 2019, Parra’s clubhouse leadership was praised as a key factor in the team’s midseason turnaround, and he quickly became a fan favorite for his choice of “Baby Shark” as his walk-up music.
In terms of on-field production, Parra hit .250/.300/.447 over 204 plate appearances for Washington in 2019, but it has been a while since he has provided even average offensive numbers. Since the start of the 2016 season, Parra has hit .273/.315/.404 with 32 homers in 1150 PA for an 80 OPS+, and he batted a modest .267/.305/.384 for the Yomiuri Giants last season. With Andrew Stevenson recovering from a strained oblique, however, the Nats were in need of outfield depth, so Parra got the call from the minors.
Braymer posted a 1.23 ERA in 7 1/3 innings for the Nationals last season, which represents the only MLB experience of his six-year professional career. An 18th-round pick for Washington in the 2016 draft, Braymer posted some solid numbers as a starting pitcher until he hit Triple-A, as he has a 7.06 ERA over 88 innings at the top minor league level. It wouldn’t be out of the question if another team claimed Braymer off waivers to see if they could get him back on track, or perhaps even just give him a look as a relief pitcher.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/19/21
The latest minor moves from around baseball…
- The Rangers have outrighted left-hander Hyeon-Jong Yang to Triple-A, the team announced. Yang was designated for assignment earlier this week, on the heels of posting a 5.59 ERA over his first 29 Major League innings. A veteran of 14 KBO seasons, Yang made the jump to North American baseball this past offseason, signing a minor league deal with Texas that guaranteed him a $1.3MM salary for reaching the active roster.
- Astros right-hander Francis Martes has returned from the restricted list and been optioned to Triple-A, according Chandler Rome of the Houston Chronicle (via Twitter). Martes was issued a 162-game PED suspension in February 2020, so it will still a while before he is eligible to pitch in the majors. Between two suspensions and a Tommy John surgery, the former top prospect hasn’t pitched in the big leagues since the 2017 season. Astros manager Dusty Baker told Mark Berman of Fox 26 (Twitter link) and other reporters that the team plans to use Martes out of the bullpen.
- Earlier this week, the Giants purchased the contract of right-hander Akeel Morris from the independent Long Island Ducks, as announced via the Ducks’ Twitter feed. Morris pitched in parts of three MLB seasons from 2015-18, posting a 6.14 ERA over 22 total innings for the Mets, Braves, and Angels. He has since pitched in Australia and in the indy leagues before catching on with the Giants, who have assigned him to their Double-A affiliate.
Marlins Designate Deven Marrero, Select Luis Marte
The Marlins announced that infielder Deven Marrero has been designated for assignment. Taking Marrero’s place on the roster is infielder Luis Marte, who is back in the majors after his contract was selected from Triple-A Jacksonville.
Marrero had his contract selected back on Wednesday, and the 30-year-old started at third base that day for his lone appearance in this brief stint with Miami. It marked Marrero’s first Major League game since 2019, when he played in five games for the Marlins. (Incidentally, Marrero is 0-for-8 plate appearances in those six games, so Marrero is still looking for his first hit since the 2018 season.) Now a veteran of parts of six MLB seasons, Marrero returned to the Marlins on a minor league contract back in May.
Marte has also made just one appearance in 2021, making his MLB debut on June 1 in a game against the Blue Jays. He was DFA’ed and then outrighted following that cup of coffee in the big leagues. Marte is a veteran of 10 minor league seasons with the Rangers, Braves, and Marlins organizations, and he has a .213/.228/.360 slash line over 79 PA at Triple-A this season.
Diamondbacks Sign Jake Faria, Designate Ildemaro Vargas
The Diamondbacks announced the signing of right-hander Jake Faria. Utilityman Ildemaro Vargas has been designated for assignment to open up a roster spot for Faria.
Faria had been pitching for the Angels’ Triple-A affiliate before he was released earlier this week. He’ll now join a reeling D’Backs team that is looking for all the pitching help it can find, though Faria has only a 5.65 ERA over 36 2/3 innings with Triple-A Salt Lake City. The righty does have a 28.05% strikeout rate, but Faria has been hurt by the long ball, with seven homers allowed over those 36 2/3 frames.
Home runs and walks became an increasingly big problem for Faria over 170 1/3 MLB innings with the Rays and Brewers from 2017-19, as he posted a 1.3 HR/9 and 10.4% walk rate to go along with a 4.54 ERA and 20.9% strikeout rate. A pretty well-regarded arm during his way up the ladder in Tampa Bay’s farm system, the Brewers acquired Faria for Jesus Aguilar in July 2019 but Faria didn’t pitch well during the rest of that season with Milwaukee and he didn’t see any action in 2020.
Vargas has become a regular on the DFA wire, as this marks the fourth time in less than three months that the 29-year-old has been designated. Vargas began his season with the Cubs, who DFA’ed him twice and then lost him on a waiver claim to the Pirates, and Pittsburgh then traded Vargas to Arizona at the beginning of June. Vargas spent his first three-plus MLB seasons with the Diamondbacks before they designated him for assignment last August and the Twins claimed him away.
In the midst of this flurry of moves, Vargas has only hit .167/.211/.245 over 109 PA since the start of the 2020 season. Known more for his versatility than his bat anyways, Vargas has played mostly second base and third base at the big league level but he has also seen some action at four other positions.
Mariners Select Vinny Nittoli, Place Justin Dunn On Injured List
TODAY: Dunn’s MRI didn’t reveal any structural damage, but he does have a shoulder strain. (Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times was among those to report the news.) Dunn will be shut down from throwing for two weeks.
JUNE 18, 5:12 pm: As expected, the Mariners formally announced Nittoli’s selection. Reliever Yohan Ramirez has been recalled from Tacoma, while catcher Jose Godoy was optioned and Dunn was placed on the 10-day IL to create active roster space. Lewis was transferred to the 60-day IL to open a 40-man roster spot for Nittoli.
9:18 am: The Mariners on Friday will select the contract of right-hander Vinny Nittoli from Triple-A Tacoma, reports ESPN’s Jeff Passan (via Twitter). The move, which will require a corresponding 40-man transaction, marks the culmination of an eight-year journey to the big leagues for Nittoli — a 25th-round pick back in 2014 who turned 30 over the winter. The Mariners do have a pair of 60-day IL candidates in outfielder Kyle Lewis and first baseman Evan White, so either could be transferred over from the 10-day IL to accommodate Nittoli on the 40-man roster. White’s rehab from a hip strain was halted this week due to a setback.
It also appears likely that the M’s will place right-hander Justin Dunn on the 10-day injured list. The 25-year-old righty exited last night’s start after two shutout innings due to shoulder discomfort. Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times reported after the game that Dunn was headed for an MRI and could be placed on the IL for precautionary reasons, even if that imaging came back clean.
Nittoli was a senior sign by the Mariners out of Xavier University and spent three years solid but unremarkable numbers against younger competition in the lower levels of Seattle’s system. He was cut loose and spent the next two years pitching for the St. Paul Saints — then an independent club in the American Association — and for los Aguilas de Mexicali in the Mexican Winter League. Nittoli split the 2019 season between the Double-A affiliate for the Blue Jays and the Triple-A affiliate for the D-backs. He was set to spend the 2020 season in the Jays’ minor league ranks, but he wasn’t included in last summer’s 60-player pool following the resumption of play in the summer.
The well-traveled righty returned to the Mariners on a minor league deal over the winter, and he’s turned heads thus far in Tacoma. In a league that is once again seeing enormous levels of offensive output, Nittoli has held opponents to seven runs on 14 hits and five walks with 26 strikeouts in 18 innings out of the bullpen. The 3.50 ERA may not sound like much, but it ranks 37th in the entire league (min. 10 innings), and Nittoli is also fifth in Triple-A West with a 2.95 FIP and ninth with a 35.6 percent strikeout rate. It’s a small sample, of course, but his performance thus far has been strong.
As for Dunn, he’s out to a nice start in 2021 himself, having logged a 3.75 ERA through 50 1/3 frames. Location remains an issue for the righty, which was never more apparent than in his season debut when he walked eight batters in 4 2/3 frames. Since that woeful outing, Dunn has righted the ship with 45 2/3 innings of 3.55 ERA ball. He’s punched out 23.5 percent of his opponents in that time, and his 10.7 percent walk rate, while still north of the league average, is at least passable.
If Dunn indeed lands on the injured list, this would be his second such stint owing to shoulder discomfort. Dunn spent 10 days on the shelf with shoulder inflammation earlier this month and has only made two appearances since returning. It’s perhaps telling that he yielded five runs in three innings in the first of those two starts before exiting after two frames in last night’s effort.
Reds Move Mike Moustakas To 60-Day IL, Select Josh Osich
The Reds moved infielder Mike Moustakas to the 60-day injured list today, opening up a 40-man roster spot so the team could select the contract of left-hander Josh Osich. Right-hander Ashton Goudeau was optioned to Triple-A to make room for Osich on the active roster.
Moustakas has already been out of action since May 19 due to a right heel contusion, and he had only just began a minor league rehab assignment earlier this week when he re-aggravated the injury. Now it seems as though Moustakas is essentially back at square one, and the Reds won’t have the slugger back in the lineup until after the All-Star break.
To their credit, the Reds have still been one of the better-hitting teams in baseball even without Moustakas available for much of the season, and with Moustakas off to rather an average start (.241/.337/.437) over his first 102 plate appearances. But naturally, the Reds would’ve wanted Moustakas back as soon as possible to bolster a left side of the infield that hasn’t gotten much offense from Eugenio Suarez or Kyle Farmer. Moustakas began the year as Cincinnati’s regular third baseman with Suarez at shortstop, but the Moose shifted across the diamond to play first base when Joey Votto was on the injured list.
Osich signed a minor league contract with the Reds in December. Best known for his four years in the Giants’ bullpen from 2015-18, Osich has since been a member of five different organizations, and he posted a 5.02 ERA over 86 innings with the White Sox, Red Sox, and Cubs over the last two seasons. Osich will add more left-handed depth to Cincinnati’s bullpen, and provide a fresh arm after the Reds used five pitchers in yesterday’s 8-2 loss to the Padres. Goudeau was one of those pitchers, allowing two runs on three walks and four hits over his two innings of work.