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Royals Activate Brady Singer For Debut

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Tyler Zuber made his debut out of the Kansas City Royals bullpen last night in a week that will see quite a number of newly-minted big-leaguers dirty their cleats on major-league soil for the first time in their careers. Count highly-touted Royals’ prospect Brady Singer among them. The 18th overall selection of the 2018 draft is slated to start tonight’s game against the Indians. The Royals activated Singer earlier today, moving Ronald Bolanos to the taxi squad, the team announced on Twitter.

It’s not the ideal debut in that Singer’s friends and family won’t be able to be in attendance, but after just 26 professional starts, the Royals and Singer both are eager to see the 6’5″ righty against the game’s top competition, per Lynn Worthy of the Kansas City Star. Said Singer, “Obviously, the difference between the Futures Game and your first big-league start is much different. I feel like the Futures Game you’re kind of just showing what you’ve got and getting through that inning. But (Saturday) is day one. Locking in for as many games as I can go. Absolute huge game plan and studying tonight and figuring out what to do.” 

If there were a Triple-A season, it stands to reason that Singer would be making his debut there this season given that he only just reached Double-A in 2019. Still, the Royals would not put him in the majors if they felt he were not ready to handle that level of competition. In his only full season of professional ball, Singer went 12-5 with an eye-catching 2.85 ERA across 26 starts between High-A and Double-A in 2019. Singer notched 8.4 K/9 versus 2.4 BB/9 for an overall 3.54 K/BB as a 22-year-old last season. He’s the #4 ranked prospect in the Royals’ system by both Baseball America and Fangraphs.

Tres Barrera Receives 80 Game Suspension

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Washington Nationals catcher Tres Barrera has been suspended 80 games as part of MLB’s PED testing program, per Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal. Barrera tested positive for Dehydrochlormethyltestosterone.

Per Mark Zuckerman of MASNsports.com, Barrera’s said through a statement that he “…never, and will never knowingly use a banned substance.” Barrera lost his appeal and will begin serving his suspension, despite his insistence that he does not know how the banned substance got into his system.

Interestingly, Barrera has gone so far as to reach out on Twitter to the lead investigator on the BALCO case. Further, there’s some debate about the particular substance for which Barrera tested positive. Turinabol is a bit of an outdated substance, and it would be surprising for someone in such a public testing protocol to chose it over more modern drugs that leave the bloodstream more quickly, per T.J. Quinn of ESPN (via Twitter). Even if Barrera wasn’t actively seeking PEDs, there’s still some potential culpability depending on how it was the drug entered his system. Still, there is at least some reason to hold off on judgment of Barrera until we know more.

If there’s a positive side to this for Barrera, it’s that he knows that this brand of suspension is not a death knell for his career. Raudy Read served a similar 80-game suspension last season and returned to his slot ahead of Barrera in the organizational depth chart.

Barrera, 25, made his major league debut last year with a pair of at-bats at the end of September. He figured to serve as catching depth on the 40-man roster behind Yan Gomes, Kurt Suzuki, and Read. Still, there was a decent chance that Barrera saw some major league action this year. With Welington Castillo opting out, Barrera’s suspension saps them of further catching depth. The major-league club should be okay with Gomes, Suzuki, and Read, but the suspension will likely push the Nats at add another catcher to their 60-player pool, if nothing else.

The Nats selected Barrera in the sixth round of the 2016 draft out of Texas. He was their regular catcher in Double-A last season, which rostered many of the Nats’ eventual call-ups because of the geographical distance of their Triple-A club. The Texas-native is a defensive-minded catcher whose glove has generally trended ahead of his bat. He authored a triple-slash of .249/.323/.381 across 403 plate appearances.

Orioles Sign 5th-Rounder Carter Baumler

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The Orioles have inked fifth-round right-hander Carter Baumler to an above-slot bonus, Jim Callis of MLB.com tweets. Baumler – the 133rd pick – will receive $1.5MM, a vast increase over the $422,300 recommended value of his selection. Notably, with Baumler under wraps, every pick from this year’s five-round MLB amateur draft class has signed.

The 18-year-old Baumler, who played high school baseball in Iowa, committed to Texas Christian University before the draft. He’ll bail on his TCU commitment in favor of the Orioles, who are getting a player who ranked among the top 150 available pre-draft players at ESPN (No. 100), MLB.com (02), FanGraphs (127) and Baseball America (147). According to MLB.com, Baumler boasts a 90 to 94 mph fastball with encouraging secondary offerings in a curveball and a changeup, as well as a “clean delivery and arm action.”

Marlins Place Jorge Alfaro On IL, Select Sean Rodriguez

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The Marlins announced that they’ve placed catcher Jorge Alfaro on the injured list, meaning he’s out of action for Opening Day. A reason was not given for the surprise move.

Replacing him on the active roster will be veteran utilityman Sean Rodriguez, whose contract was selected. The Fish also announced the signing of outfielder Travis Snider to a minor-league pact. He’ll head to the team’s alternate training site.

It’s obviously disappointing to see Alfaro hit the shelf right at the start of the season. The 27-year-old has established himself as a solid MLB backstop, though he’s hoping to take another step forward after posting consecutive 95 OPS+ efforts at the plate. Alfaro is also playing to set himself up for his first run at the arbitration process.

Braves To Acquire Scott Schebler

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2:03pm: This deal is now official. Cash considerations will go to Cincinnati in return.

12:47pm: The Braves have struck a deal to acquire outfielder Scott Schebler, MLBTR’s Tim Dierkes reports on Twitter. Schebler had been designated for assignment by the Reds.

This’ll give the Atlanta organization another potential power bat to add to the mix. Schebler will take a spot on the team’s 40-man roster and 60-man player pool. Since he’s out of options, he’ll also have to be added to the active roster.

Schebler will rejoin former outfield mate Adam Duvall as depth options. The Braves have now added several power-oriented players in recent days, with Schebler joining Matt Adams as lefty bench bats.

Though he popped thirty long balls in 2017, Schebler has generally failed to reach base at a sufficient clip to feature as an above-average hitter. He owns a .240/.318/.443 lifetime batting line through five MLB campaigns.

Last year was a particularly rough one for Schebler, who scuffled badly through 30 MLB games. Things weren’t much better at Triple-A, where he limped to a .216/.274/.325 slash over 212 trips to the plate.

Schebler was likely hampered by a shoulder injury that required offseason surgery. He’s now back to full strength and ready to take a crack at reestablishing himself in the majors.

Orioles Outright Hector Velazquez

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The Orioles announced today that they have outrighted righty Hector Velazquez. He has already cleared waivers.

This move removes a player from the Baltimore 60-man player pool, leaving five openings to work with. The O’s clearly did not believe that Velazquez would be an option in the majors this year.

The 31-year-old hurler had been a useful swingman for the division-rival Red Sox, though he scuffled in 2019. Given the Orioles’ pitching needs, it seemed he had a good shot at carving out a role. Instead, he’ll be stashed on the Baltimore minor-league roster without a chance to play this season.

Rangers Release Cody Allen, Add John King To 60-Man Pool

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The Rangers announced today that they have released veteran reliever Cody Allen. His spot in the 60-man player pool will go to lefty John King.

Allen, 31, has had a rough go of things since he hit a wall in the 2018 season. His effort to bounce back last year with the Angels fell short and he’s now struggling to earn his way back to the majors.

The 25-year-old King is now in a position to clamor for his first call to the majors. He still hasn’t appeared above the High-A level, but was quite effective there last year. Over 71 frames, the former tenth-round pick turned in a 2.03 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 1.4 BB/9.

Cubs Sign Ryan LaMarre

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The Cubs announced Friday that they’ve signed outfielder Ryan LaMarre to a minor league deal. Chicago also confirmed its previously reported minor league deal with infielder Derek Dietrich and added 2020 draftee Burl Carraway to its 60-man player pool. All three players will head to the team’s alternate training site in South Bend.

LaMarre, 31, has spent time in the Majors in each of the past five seasons, most recently with the Twins in 2018-19. The 2010 second-rounder, who is a career .236/.286/.338 hitter in 246 trips to the plate, had recently opted out of a minor league deal with the Rays. He’s capable of playing all three outfield positions and carries a solid .281/.349/.415 batting line in parts of seven seasons at the Triple-A level.

Carraway, selected in the second round out of Dallas Baptist University, is seen as a pure bullpen prospect with a powerful fastball/curve combination. He misses bats with ease but also has struggled with his control. He was widely regarded as a top-100 prospect in this year’s draft and could rise to the Majors quickly — although a 2020 debut would nevertheless register as a surprise.

Reds Finalize Opening Day Roster

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The Reds announced this morning that they’ve filled the final two spots on their 30-man roster by selecting the contracts of infielders Christian Colon and Matt Davidson. In order to make room on the 40-man roster, right-hander Justin Shafer and left-hander Josh D. Smith were designated for assignment.

Colon, 31, returns for a second season with the Cincinnati organization. The former No. 4 overall draft pick (Royals, 2010) spent the bulk of the 2019 season with the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate in Louisville, hitting .300/.372/.443. He joined the big league club late in the year but only tallied eight plate appearances. Colon has played second base, third base and shortstop in the Majors, but he’s never justified that lofty draft status. In 150 big league games, he’s a .256/.321/.318 hitter.

The 29-year-old Davidson was a top pick himself in 2009 (No. 35 to the White Sox) and long rated as one of MLB’s top 100 prospects. Strikeout issues have long plagued the slugger, however, and in parts of four big league seasons he’s a .226/.295/.435 hitter with 49 home runs and a 34.5 percent strikeout rate. Davidson, who hit .264/.339/.527 with the Rangers’ Triple-A club in 2019, was at one point experimenting with a role as a two-way player. However, he’s only tossed three professional innings, and the Reds listed him as a pure infielder.

Both Colon and Davidson will give the Reds some infield depth off the bench, but they’ll likely take a back seat to Josh VanMeter and perhaps Kyle Farmer in that regard.

Shafer, meanwhile, has been designated for assignment by his second team in eight months. The Blue Jays designated him last November after a shaky showing in his first 48 MLB frames. Shafer turned in a solid 3.75 ERA in that span, but he also walked 32 batters and plunked another two in that time. His 5.52 FIP paints a much less favorable picture. Shafer has excelled in both Double-A and Triple-A, and he still has a pair of minor league option remaining — all of which likely appealed to the Reds when they acquired him (for cash) shortly after his original DFA. Cincinnati will have a week to trade Shafer, release him, or try to pass him through outright waivers.

Smith, 30, made his MLB debut last season but struggled to a 6.39 ERA in 12 2/3 innings between Cleveland and Miami. He’s worked 164 frames across four Triple-A seasons and carries a 3.02 ERA, 9.9 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in that time. The Reds claimed him off waivers from the Marlins this past offseason.

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