Marlins Announce Several Roster Moves
The Marlins have made a series of roster moves this afternoon, announcing via Twitter that they’ve activated three players—pitchers Robert Dugger and Alex Vesia, along with catcher Chad Wallach—from the injured list. Meanwhile, right-hander Humberto Mejia was optioned to the team’s alternate training site, while RHP Brett Eibner, catcher Brian Navarreto, and LHP Josh D. Smith were designated for assignment.
Eibner, Navarreto, and Smith will no longer occupy a position on the Miami 40-man roster. The Marlins will have a week to either trade, release, or outright assign those three players.
Eibner, a former outfielder, has made the transition to pitcher, making his first two big league appearances with the Marlins, though they didn’t play out as hoped, with Eibner surrendering three earned runs in 1 1/3 innings of work.
Dugger and Vesia will replace Eibner and Smith in the Miami pitching staff, offering one righty and one lefty option. Dugger, Vesia, and Wallach were all placed on the injured list for undisclosed reasons.
Dodgers Call Up Gavin Lux
The Dodgers have recalled infielder Gavin Lux up to their Major League roster, the team announced. Right-hander Mitch White has been optioned to the team’s alternate training site to make roster space.
Lux is making a quick return to the L.A. roster just two days after making a one-game cameo as the 29th man in a doubleheader against the Giants. That lone game (which saw Lux go 0-for-3 with two strikeouts) was the star prospect’s only bit of MLB action this season, as he has spent the rest of the year at the Dodgers’ alternate training site.
It remains to be seen if this promotion will stick, or if Lux could be on something of a regular shuttle between the Dodgers’ active roster and taxi squad. Manager Dave Roberts indicated earlier this month that Lux wouldn’t be called up unless the team was ready to give him everyday playing time, and it’s possible a more regular role could emerge given the status of Justin Turner. The veteran third baseman left last night’s game with a hamstring problem that Roberts hoped was only a cramp, though more won’t be known until Turner undergoes extra tests today.
Should Turner require a stint on the injured list, the Dodgers could shuffle their infield by giving third-base at-bats to any of Max Muncy, Enrique Hernandez, or Chris Taylor, thus opening the door for Lux to play second base. As always with the Dodgers, they could easily rotate all of these players around the diamond (and through the DH spot) based on matchups.
Lux is one of baseball’s top prospects, and a dominant performance in Triple-A last season led to his first MLB promotion, and a .240/.305/.400 slash line over 82 plate appearances in 2019. Lux has only played second base at the Major League level but he does a lot of minor league experience as a shortstop, so his arrival will give Los Angeles a bit of extra depth behind Corey Seager.
Cardinals Make Several Roster Moves
The Cardinals have made four call-ups from their alternate training site, as left-hander Rob Kaminsky, first baseman John Nogowski, and right-handers Ryan Meisinger and Seth Elledge are all joining the active roster. They will take the roster spots left open by infielder Max Schrock and righties Daniel Ponce de Leon and Junior Fernandez, who are all headed to the alternate site. In addition, left-hander Ricardo Sanchez has been placed on the 10-day injured list due to pain in his throwing elbow.
Ponce de Leon, Fernandez, Sanchez, and even Schrock (in mop-up duty) pitched in last night’s 14-2 loss to the Indians. Ponce de Leon started and lasted only two-thirds of an inning, allowing four runs on four walks and two hits.
This demotion won’t last long, as Derrick Goold of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reports that Ponce De Leon will be back as the 29th man for next weekend’s doubleheader against the Cubs. As for Ponce De Leon’s normal starting spot, however, Johan Oviedo will now take a regular turn in the rotation. Oviedo has made two starts already for the Cards this season, looking solid in posting a 3.60 ERA over 10 innings.
Sanchez’s ominous-sounding injury continues what has already been a difficult year for the 23-year-old, as he missed two weeks in July recovering from a COVID-19 diagnosis. The southpaw did make his big league debut this season, posting a 6.75 ERA over 5 1/3 IP (three games).
Yankees Activate DJ LeMahieu From Injured List
The Yankees have activated DJ LeMahieu from the 10-day injured list, the team announced. Miguel Andujar has been optioned back to the club’s alternate training site in a corresponding move.
LeMahieu hit the IL due to a sprained left thumb back on August 16, and while his IL stint didn’t last much beyond the 10-day minimum, the absence was surely noted by a Yankees team that is in the midst of a seven-game losing streak. With Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Gleyber Torres still injured, the return of LeMahieu’s bat will be very welcome in the Bronx. LeMahieu was hitting .411/.456/.534 over 79 PA prior to his injury.
Andujar’s latest call-up resulted in a 2-for-10 showing over 10 plate appearances in four games. The young slugger has only a .285 OPS in 32 Major League PA this season, though his attempts to get on track haven’t been helped by either the lack of consistent playing time available in the Yankee lineup.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/28/20
Friday’s minor moves…
- The Marlins announced that they’ve sent infielder Logan Forsythe to the 60-day injured list with a right oblique strain. That should wrap up the 2020 season for Forsythe, whom the Marlins signed July 29. He made his Marlins debut Aug. 4 and went on to hit a miserable .118/.211/.235 with one HR in 35 plate appearances before going on the IL. Overall, it has been a rough few years for Forsythe, a once-valuable member of the Rays who has combined for minus-0.3 fWAR since the beginning of the 2018 campaign.
- The Angels outrighted Michael Hermosillo to their alternate training site after he cleared waivers, the team announced. Hermosillo, whom the Angels designated for assignment last Sunday, has slashed a paltry .188/.288/.287 with one home run 118 plate appearances with the Angels since 2018. The 25-year-old outfielder has been far better at the Triple-A level, where he has batted .261/.344/.478 with 32 homers over 748 trips to the plate.
Athletics Acquire Tommy La Stella For Franklin Barreto
10:26pm: Both teams have announced the trade.
9:15pm: The Athletics have acquired infielder Tommy La Stella from the division-rival Angels, Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic reports. Fellow infielder Franklin Barreto is headed to the Angels, per Rosenthal.
Now 31 years old, La Stella was a capable part-time player with the Braves and Cubs from 2014-18, but he has found another gear since joining the Angels before last season. Going back to 2019, La Stella has slashed .289/.353/.483 (125 wRC+) with 20 home runs and as many walks as strikeouts (35). La Stella even earned his first All-Star nod a season ago, though he was unable to play in the game after suffering a fractured tibia.
To his credit, La Stella has come back strong from his injury this year. He could soon emerge as the No. 1 option at second base for a contending Oakland club that has relied on Tony Kemp to handle the position so far.
Although La Stella was terrific as an Angel, they’re well out of contention, and he’s a pending free agent. As such, it made sense for the club to move on from La Stella and take on the 24-year-old Barreto, a former top prospect who didn’t receive consistent playing in Oakland.
Originally acquired from the Blue Jays as part of the two teams’ Josh Donaldson trade before 2015, Barreto batted a woeful .180/.210/.360 with nine homers in 219 plate appearances as an Athletic, and he has totaled just 10 trips to the plate this year. However, in addition to his prospect pedigree and youth, Barreto owns a strong track record in Triple-A, where he has hit .285/.356/.505 with 53 HRs in 1,285 PA. The Angels are obviously hoping Barreto will tap into his potential in their uniform, but because he’s out of minor league options, they won’t have the luxury of demoting him without possibly losing him.
Defensively, most of Barreto’s MLB playing time has come at second, where La Stella and Luis Rengifo have gotten the lion’s share of action for the club this year. But as the Angels go through the final month of what’s very likely to be another non-playoff season, they should be in position to evaluate Barreto as a possible everyday option at the keystone. The A’s, on the other hand, are taking a chance that La Stella will provide yet another weapon on a team aiming for an AL West title and a World Series this year.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Rays Acquire Cody Reed
The Rays have acquired left-hander Cody Reed from the Reds for righty Riley O’Brien, C. Trent Rosecrans of The Athletic tweets. To make room for Reed, Tampa Bay placed newly acquired outfielder Brett Phillips on the COVID-19 injured list as he goes through intake protocols, the team announced. Meanwhile, O’Brien is now a member of the Reds’ 60-man player pool, per Rosecrans.
The Reds designated Reed for assignment earlier this week after he started 2020 with 9 1/3 innings of 10-hit, six-earned run ball with 10 strikeouts and eight walks. But the 27-year-old was effective for Cincinnati in 2018-19, and the AL East-leading Rays are in a position where they need to acquire pitching help in the wake of several injuries – including to notable bullpen arms in Nick Anderson, Jose Alvarado, Jalen Beeks, Oliver Drake, Andrew Kittredge, Colin Poche and Chaz Roe.
In the event Reed turns things around in a Rays uniform, he could be a multiyear piece for the club, as he’s not due to reach free agency until after 2024. However, Reed doesn’t have any minor league options remaining, so he’ll have to stick on the Rays’ MLB roster or be subjected to the waiver wire.
The Reds are getting a promising farmhand in O’Brien, a 25-year-old who made his Double-A debut in 2019 and registered a 3.93 ERA/3.49 FIP with 9.44 K/9, 3.8 BB/9 and a 45.7 percent groundball rate in 68 2/3 innings. Prior to the trade, O’Brien ranked as a top 25 Rays prospect at MLB.com (No. 20), Baseball America (24) and FanGraphs (24). MLB.com, the most bullish of those outlets, writes that O’Brien has the potential to amount to a mid-rotation starter or “a late-inning force,” depending on whether he’s able to improve his control.
Mets Designate Walker Lockett For Assignment, Activate David Peterson
The Mets have designated right-hander Walker Lockett for assignment, Tim Healey of Newsday was among those to report. His roster spot will go to lefty David Peterson, who’s coming off the 10-day injured list.
In what could go down as his final Mets appearance, Lockett threw two scoreless innings to pick up a win over the Yankees on Friday. For the most part, though, success has eluded Lockett as a Met. Since they acquired him from the Indians in a deal for catcher Kevin Plawecki before 2019, the 26-year-old Lockett has recorded an 8.16 ERA/5.96 FIP with 6.59 K/9 and 2.51 BB/9 in 30 1/3 innings. Lockett did pitch well last year at Triple-A (3.66 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 1.7 BB/9 over 59 frames), but as someone who’s out of minor league options, he may have a harder time latching on elsewhere in the next week.
Meanwhile, the return of Peterson will be a welcome one for the Mets, as the rookie began his career with a 2.91 ERA/4.03 FIP and 7.06 K/9 against 3.32 BB/9 across 21 2/3 innings before going to the IL on Aug. 18 with shoulder fatigue. Peterson has been the Mets’ top complement to ace Jacob deGrom so far this season.
Brewers Designate Justin Grimm; Manny Pina To Undergo Knee Surgery
5:32pm: Not so fast on Pina, who says he’ll require at least four weeks to recover from surgery and is hoping he’ll return if the Brewers make the playoffs (via Haudricourt).
4:21pm: Pina will undergo season-ending surgery, manager Craig Counsell told Tom Haudricourt of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and other reporters.
3:31pm: The Brewers announced that they’ve designated right-hander Justin Grimm for assignment and placed catcher Manny Pina on the 10-day injured list due to a torn meniscus in his right knee. Pina sustained the injury on a pickoff play last night, MLB.com’s Adam McCalvy tweets. Catcher Jacob Nottingham has been recalled from the alternate training site to replace Pina on the active roster.
Grimm, 32, has appeared in four games for the Brewers this year but surrendered multiple runs in three of those appearances. He’s been tagged for nine runs on nine hits (four homers) and four walks with six punchouts in 4 2/3 frames. Although he was once a quality relief option with the division-rival Cubs — 3.36 ERA and 3.20 FIP in 171 innings from 2014-16 — Grimm has seen his results decline precipitously since that stretch. He’s logged 77 1/3 innings in the Majors over the past four seasons and struggled to an alarming 7.33 ERA.
As for Pina, it’s a tough blow for the Brewers and the 33-year-old backstop alike. He’s out to a .231/.333/.410 slash to begin the season — solid production for any catcher, let alone a backup — but will now likely miss the remainder of the year. Even speedy recoveries from a meniscus tear can take a month, and for a catcher, any knee issue carries additional difficulty. Pina has been the Brewers’ backup catcher dating back to 2017, providing solid glovework and respectable OBP skills and pop for a reserve catcher. Since 2017, he’s a .257/.317/.411 hitter.
Nottingham has gotten brief looks in each of the past two seasons — nine games apiece — and will now step in as the primary backup to Omar Narvaez. He’s a .231/.355/.385 hitter in 31 MLB plate appearances and a .250/.326/.421 hitter in 528 PAs at the Triple-A level.
Blue Jays Option Brandon Drury, Outright Thomas Pannone
The Blue Jays have optioned infielder Brandon Drury to their alternate training site and outrighted hurler Thomas Pannone, Shi Davidi of Sportsnet tweets. The Drury move clears roster space for newly acquired right-hander Taijuan Walker.
The 28-year-old Drury has been a massive disappointment for Toronto, which acquired him from the Yankees for lefty J.A. Happ before the July 2018 trade deadline. Drury, who had his moments with the Diamondbacks from 2015-17, struggled during his brief Yankees stint before they gave up on him. His issues have continued as a member of Toronto’s roster, as he owns a horrid .211/.254/.360 line with 15 home runs in 496 plate appearances. Drury’s minus-6 wRC+ across 49 plate trips this year ranks fifth to last among 300 major leaguers who have amassed at least 40 PA.
The left-handed Pannone, 26, had been in limbo since the Jays designated him Aug. 24, but he’ll stick with the organization after clearing waivers. Pannone, who combined for a 5.43 ERA/5.14 FIP over 116 innings from 2018-19, hasn’t pitched in the bigs this season.