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Orioles Place Wade LeBlanc On 60-Day Injured List

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The Orioles have placed southpaw Wade LeBlanc on the 60-day injured list due to a stress reaction in his throwing elbow, the team announced.  Left-hander Keegan Akin has been called up from the team’s alternate training site in a corresponding move.

LeBlanc will see his season end after just 22 1/3 innings, including an outing last Sunday that saw him depart the mound due to injury before the first inning was over.  It was a tough stretch for LeBlanc in Baltimore, with an 8.06 ERA largely fueled by the six homers allowed during his 22 1/3 frames of work.  Home runs have been something of a constant issue for LeBlanc over his 12 big league seasons, though the problem has spiked over the last two years in particular, as LeBlanc has a 2.1 HR/9 over his last 143 2/3 MLB innings.

Baltimore signed LeBlanc to a minor league contract in the offseason, so he will earn the prorated portion of an $800K salary for reaching the Orioles’ active roster.  The O’s expected to LeBlanc to eat some innings and provide some veteran experience for their young pitching staff, though today’s news could quite possibly mark the end of LeBlanc’s tenure with the club.

Akin might be the most obvious candidate to fill LeBlanc’s spot in the rotation, though the Orioles have some time to make a decision since LeBlanc’s next turn isn’t until Saturday.  A second-round pick in the 2016 draft, the 25-year-old Akin has posted some solid innings in Baltimore’s farm system and he already made his MLB debut earlier this season (a three-inning relief outing on August 14).

Mets Place Nido, Gimenez On Injured List; Juan Lagares/Patrick Mazeika Selected

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The Mets have placed infielder Andres Gimenez and catcher Tomas Nido on the injured list, the club announced.  Outfielder Juan Lagares and catcher Patrick Mazeika will be replacing them on the active roster, as the Mets selected their contracts from the team’s alternate training site.  Catcher Ali Sanchez has also been added to the roster as the 29th player for today’s doubleheader with the Marlins.

No specific reason was given for Gimenez and Nido’s placement, though the lack of information would seem to imply COVID-19 concerns.  The Mets are returning to the field today after having four games postponed due to positive coronavirus tests from an unnamed player and coach.  Also of note, bench coach Hensley Meulens and third base coach Gary DiSarcina are not at Citi Field today, according to multiple reporters.

Gimenez, one of the Mets’ top prospects and a top-100 prospect in the sport, was something of a surprise addition to New York’s roster at the beginning of the season since he hadn’t played beyond the Double-A level (and hadn’t hit particularly well at that level.  Indeed, Gimenez looked a little overmatched in his first 62 big league plate appearances, hitting .254/.290/.339.  On the plus side, Gimenez did go a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base chances and displayed some solid glovework at shortstop, second base, and third base.

Since Sanchez will seemingly just be up for today’s two games, it looks like the Mets will give Mazeika a look as Wilson Ramos’ backup while Nido is out.  Mazeika was an eighth-round pick for the Mets in the 2015 draft, and he is poised to make his MLB debut after hitting .278/.371/.424 over 1801 career minor league plate appearances.  Like Gimenez, Mazeika hasn’t played any Triple-A ball.

Lagares will return to the Mets after signing a minor league contract back in July.  A staple of the New York outfield from 2013-19, Lagares displayed excellent glovework in his prime but injuries and a lack of consistent hitting turned the team’s four-year, $23.5MM extension into something of a misfire.  After the Mets declined their club option on Lagares for the 2020 season, he inked a minor league deal with the Padres in the offseason but elected free agency in July.

White Sox Sign Yolmer Sanchez To Minors Deal

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The White Sox have signed second baseman Yolmer Sanchez to a minor league contract, MLB.com’s Mark Feinsand reports (via Twitter).  After being released by the Giants earlier this week, Sanchez returns to the only other organization he has ever known over his 12 professional seasons.

Sanchez went from part-timer to everyday player over six MLB seasons with the White Sox from 2014-19, hitting .244/.299/.357 over 2438 plate appearances but being far more well-regarded for his defense.  Sanchez spent significant time at third base and even a few games at shortstop and right field, though he is best known for the +10 Defensive Runs Saved and +6.3 UZR/150 posted over 3464 career innings at second base.  This glovework culminated in Sanchez winning a Gold Glove just last season.

With Nick Madrigal looming in the minors and Sanchez projected for a $6.2MM arbitration salary, however, Chicago opted to non-tender Sanchez last winter.  He caught on with the Giants on a minor league pact, though Donovan Solano’s emergence and San Francisco’s signing of Wilmer Flores left Sanchez without a clear path to making the big league roster.

The White Sox, however, now find themselves in need of some infield depth with Madrigal on the injured list for at least a few more days and Leury Garcia done for at least the regular season after undergoing thumb surgery.  Danny Mendick has been taking most of the everyday at-bats at second base recently, and Sanchez could potentially replace another glove-first infielder in Ryan Goins on Chicago’s active roster.

Braves Promote Ian Anderson, Activate Ronald Acuna Jr.

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The Braves announced this morning that they’ve selected the contract of top pitching prospect Ian Anderson and reinstated outfielder Ronald Acuna Jr. from the injured list. Anderson will make his Major League debut and start tonight’s game. In a pair of corresponding moves, right-hander Touki Toussaint and catcher Alex Jackson were optioned to Atlanta’s alternate training site.

Anderson, 22, was the No. 3 overall draft pick in 2016 and has steadily ranked among the game’s 50 or so best prospects over the past three years. He spent the 2019 season with the Braves’ Double-A and Triple-A affiliates, pitching to a combined 3.38 ERA with 11.4 K/9, 4.3 BB/9 and a 44 percent grounder rate. Like so many pitchers, Anderson was blown up in the explosive offensive setting in Triple-A last year, surrendering five homers in 24 2/3 frames. However, he only yielded eight big flies in 111 innings of Double-A work.

Scouting reports on Anderson peg him as more of a mid-rotation starter than a frontline ace. His fastball climbs to 96 mph, and Anderson garners praise for a plus curveball and a changeup that’s a bit behind that offering, though all three are considered above-average pitches.

Given the considerable rotation woes they’ve experienced in 2020, there’s some pressure on Anderson to put forth a strong debut effort. It’s not exactly fair to put such lofty expectations on a young prospect, but Atlanta has lost Mike Soroka (torn Achilles), Cole Hamels (triceps tendinitis), Felix Hernandez (opted out of 2020) and Mike Foltynewicz (outrighted after his fastball velocity dipped 6 mph) from its expected early-season rotation. Sean Newcomb, meanwhile, was optioned to the alternate site after surrendering 17 runs in 13 2/3 innings. Kyle Wright and Toussaint both posted underwhelming numbers in four starts apiece as well. The Braves have recently leaned on swingman Josh Tomlin and waiver claim Robbie Erlin to start games for them.

The Braves waited on Anderson long enough that he’ll miss out on Super Two status and the opportunity to accrue a full year of Major League service in 2020. As such, even if he’s in the big leagues for good, Anderson won’t be eligible for arbitration until after the 2023 season and won’t be eligible for free agency until after the 2026 season. Future optional assignments could further impact those timelines, of course, though the organization surely hopes that he pitches his way into a permanent rotation spot.

The return of Acuna is obviously a major boon for the Braves as well. He’s missed the past 10 days due to a left wrist injury but had rebounded from a slow start to boost his line to .258/.372/.515 at the time of his IL placement. In 10 August games, Acuna was hitting .364/.488/.818 with four homers and three doubles.

White Sox Release Bryan Mitchell, Adalberto Mejia

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The White Sox made a few moves Monday, James Fegan of The Athletic relays. The club released right-hander Bryan Mitchell and lefty Adalberto Mejia, and it added southpaw Kodi Medeiros and RHP Danny Dopico to its 60-man player pool. Medeiros and Dopico will report to Chicago’s alternate training site.

Mitchell and Mejia were fairly notable prospects in the past (the latter cracked top 100 lists), but neither has made much of a mark in the majors thus far. The 29-year-old Mitchell logged a 5.15 ERA/5.05 FIP with 5.36 K/9 and 4.57 BB/9 across 171 1/3 innings between the Yankees and Padres from 2014-18. After spending all of last season with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate, Mitchell joined the White Sox on a minor league contract in January.

Mejia, 27, was another January minor signing for Chicago. He combined for 154 innings among the Twins, Angels and Cardinals from 2016-19, during which he recorded an identical 4.62 ERA/FIP and notched 7.4 K/9 and 4.3 BB/9.

Medeiros, whom the Brewers took 12th overall in the 2014 draft, became a member of the White Sox when they acquired him for reliever Joakim Soria in 2018. The 24-year-old Medeiros struggled last season in Double-A, where he recorded a 5.10 ERA/5.45 FIP and walked 5.53 batters per nine in 83 frames.

Dopico was an 11th-rounder of the White Sox in 2015 who spent all of last season at Double-A and fared rather well. Despite an ugly walk rate (5.03 BB/9), he wound up tossing 62 2/3 innings with a 2.59 ERA/2.98 FIP, 10.48 K/9 and a 51.5 percent groundball rate.

Reds Designate Cody Reed

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The Reds have designated left-hander Cody Reed for assignment, Bobby Nightengale of the Cincinnati Enquirer was among those to report. The club reinstated righty Robert Stephenson in a corresponding move.

Reed, now 27, joined the Reds in the team’s 2015 trade with the Royals centering on righty Johnny Cueto. Reed debuted in the majors the next season, but he didn’t begin truly making his mark in the bigs until 2018. Between then and last season, Reed tossed 49 1/3 innings of 3.65 ERA/3.59 FIP ball with 8.94 K/9, 2.92 BB/9 and an exemplary 63.2 percent groundball rate. Reed wasn’t able to carry that success into this season, though, as he allowed six earned runs on 10 hits and eight walks (10 strikeouts) in 9 1/3 frames before the Reds jettisoned him. They’ll have a week to trade, release or send Reed through waivers, though he’s out of minor league options.

Stephenson, 27, made his sole appearance of the year July 25 before landing on the IL with a back injury. He was a key part of the Reds’ bullpen last year, when he amassed 64 2/3 frames of 3.76 ERA/3.63 FIP ball with 11.27 K/9 and 3.34 BB/9.

Rangers Designate Rob Refsnyder

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The Rangers have designated utilityman Rob Refsnyder for assignment, Jeff Wilson of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram tweets. In other moves, the Rangers recalled outfielder Leody Taveras and activated catcher Robinson Chirinos from the injured list.

The well-traveled Refsnyder, 29, joined the Rangers on a minor league contract last offseason. He has been on the Rangers’ roster throughout the season, but Refnsyder was unable to justify his spot on the team over 34 plate appearances, in which he slashed a subpar .200/.265/.233 with no home runs. It continued a run of below-average production in the majors for Refsnyder, owner of a .217/.305/.297 line in a career 457 trips to the plate.

Refsnyder has hit well in the minors, and he is a defensively versatile performer, so perhaps yet another club will take a chance on him. However, the fact that he’s out of minor league options won’t help his cause. In any event, the Rangers will have a week to trade, release or pass Refsnyder through waivers.

Marlins Designate Sterling Sharp For Assignment

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The Marlins made a series of roster moves Monday, beginning with the announcement that right-hander Sterling Sharp has been designated for assignment. Miami also reinstated infielder Eddy Alvarez from the paternity list and optioned him to the alternate training site. Lefty Stephen Tarpley, meanwhile, has been placed on the 10-day IL due to an oblique strain, while fellow southpaw Brandon Leibrandt was optioned to the alternate site.

Up from the alternate site in place of Sharp, Tarpley and Leibrant are first baseman Lewin Diaz and right-handers Jorge Guzman and Jesus Tinoco.

Sharp, 25, joined the Marlins via the NL East-rival Nationals as a Rule 5 pick over the winter. He went on to throw 5 1/3 innings with the Marlins this year before they booted him from their roster, but Sharp struggled mightily along the way. The soft-tossing Sharp made four appearances out of Miami’s bullpen and yielded seven runs (six earned) on seven hits and five walks, striking out just three in the process. Sharp will now head to the waiver wire, and if nobody claims him there, the Marlins will have to offer him back to the Nats.

Pirates Claim Carson Fulmer, Designate Guillermo Heredia

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The Pirates announced Monday that they’ve claimed right-hander Carson Fulmer off waivers from the Tigers and designated outfielder Guillermo Heredia for assignment in order to open a spot on the roster.

Pittsburgh will be the third team in 2020 to try its hand in helping Fulmer to right the ship. The 26-year-old was selected by the White Sox with the No. 8 overall pick back in 2015. At the time, the Vanderbilt star was viewed as a potential high-end starter or at the very least a high-probability late-inning reliever. But he’s struggled virtually every step of the way since Triple-A, pitching to an ugly 5.39 ERA in parts of four seasons there and a less-palatable 6.57 mark in 101 1/3 MLB frames. The Tigers claimed him last month after the White Sox designated him for assignment.

Fulmer’s average fastball in 2020 sat at 92.3 mph — a far cry from the righty’s college days, when scouting reports pegged him as touching 97 mph with regularity. He boasted elite spin rates on his four-seamer and curveball as recently as last season, though, and Fulmer did manage a career-best 12.8 percent swinging-strike rate in this year’s tiny sample of 6 2/3 innings with the Tigers. That’s about all that went right for Fulmer, but the pitching-hungry Pirates were quick to snap him up on waivers in hopes that their staff can coax something more out of him. Fulmer is out of minor league options, so he’ll need to stick on the Bucs’ big league roster or else be designated for assignment a third time.

As for Heredia, he signed a one-year, $1MM contract with the Pirates over the winter but hasn’t delivered for the club. The 29-year-old appeared in just eight games and tallied a mere 18 plate appearances earlier this year before being optioned to the club’s alternate training site. Clearly the team wasn’t happy with what it saw there.

Heredia has appeared in 390 Major League games, mostly with the Mariners, and posted a combined .239/.317/.339 batting line. As a solid outfield defender with a bit of speed and a career .275/.338/.400 batting line against lefties, he can be a useful bench piece when he’s at his best, but he won’t get that opportunity with the Pirates, it seems. Pittsburgh will have a week to trade Heredia, release him or attempt to run him through outright waivers. He’d have enough service time to reject the outright assignment, but doing so would mean forfeiting the remainder of his guaranteed salary.

Giants Request Release Waivers On Hunter Pence

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The Giants have requested unconditional release waivers on veteran outfielder/designated hitter Hunter Pence, tweets Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. Pence was designated for assignment over the weekend.

The reunion between Pence and the Giants was a feel-good story for San Francisco fans over the winter. The team’s longtime right fielder, viewed as a key part of two World Series pushes, walked away with his head held high upon conclusion of his five-year, $90MM deal at the end of the 2018 season. There was some debate as to whether Pence had anything left in the tank at that point, given poor showings in 2017-18. He responded by heading retool his swing in the Dominican Winter League, landed a roster spot with his hometown Rangers and turned in a huge rebound effort last year in Arlington: .297/.358/.552 in 316 plate appearances.

Unfortunately for Pence, the Giants and their fans, that production didn’t carry over into 2020. Pence logged just 56 plate appearances and posted a .096/.161/.250 batting line. Despite his undeniable leadership and the positive influence he had on young Giants players, the club simply needed more production out of his roster spot.

Pence was gracious as ever, profoundly thanking the organization and its fans for all of the memories he’s piled up over the years. Pence chatted with Baggarly in a phone interview following the DFA, stating that he is “overwhelmed with appreciation” for everything that has transpired in his Giants tenure. He added that he plans to stay ready in case another opportunity presents itself in 2020, but he didn’t have any definitive comments on his plans beyond the current season.

Assuming he clears release waivers — it’s unlikely that another club would claim the $548K remaining on this year’s prorated $1.08MM salary — Pence will become a free agent who is eligible to sign with any team in 48 hours.

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