Minor MLB Transactions: 8/19/20
The latest minor moves…
- Before the second game of their doubleheader against the Cubs on Wednesday, the Cardinals selected right-hander Johan Oviedo from their alternate site and optioned Jesus Cruz. The 22-year-old Oviedo started the game and impressed in his major league debut, throwing five innings of two-run, four-strikeout ball with two hits and two walks allowed. Oviedo is in his fourth year in the St. Louis organization, and though he had a difficult time in his first season in Triple A last year (5.65 ERA, 5.1 BB/9 over 113 innings), he is regarded as a rather promising prospect. All of FanGraphs (No. 12), Baseball America (13) and MLB.com (13) place Oviedo among the Cardinals’ top 15 farmhands. FanGraphs wrote in the offseason that the 6-foot-6 Oviedo has mid-rotation potential, but it’ll depend on whether can improve his control. Not bad so far.
Diamondbacks Select Matt Grace
The Diamondbacks announced that they’ve selected left-hander Matt Grace from their alternate training site. In a corresponding move, they placed southpaw Andrew Chafin on the 10-day injured list with a left finger sprain.
Grace saw action with the Nationals in each season from 2015-19, though he didn’t take part in their run to the World Series last season. He made his final appearance with the Nats last Aug. 23, and the team designated him for assignment after that. The Diamondbacks then brought him in on a minor league deal in the offseason.
Grace struggled to a 6.36 ERA in 46 2/3 innings in his final season in Washington, but he did put up OK overall numbers during his time there. In all, he threw 176 1/3 frames of 4.29 ERA/4.04 FIP ball with 6.74 K/9, 2.5 BB/9 and a 53.4 percent groundball rate.
Chafin has been a quality reliever for the D-backs since his debut in 2014, but this season has not gone according to plan for the 30-year-old. He has already surrendered six earned runs on nine hits and four walks in 6 2/3 innings, and both lefties and righties have given him trouble so far.
Twins Activate Rich Hill, Outright Cory Gearrin
The Twins have activated left-hander Rich Hill from the injured list, the team announced. They also outrighted reliever Cory Gearrin to their alternate site after he cleared waivers and optioned righty Zack Littell.
Hill, who will start the Twins’ game against the Brewers on Wednesday, missed roughly three weeks with shoulder fatigue. While injuries have been a consistent problem during Hill’s late-career renaissance, he has offered front-line numbers with several teams when he has been able to take the mound. The 40-year-old has made just one start this season for the Twins, who signed him during the offseason, but it was an effective one, as he threw five innings of scoreless, two-hit, two-walk ball in a win over the Cardinals. He’ll rejoin a Twins rotation that has gotten superb production from Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak, while Jose Berrios and Jake Odorizzi have come out of the gates slowly.
The well-traveled Gearrin, 34, signed with the Twins on a minors pact in the offseason. He threw two scoreless innings for the team Aug. 9 before it designated him for assignment.
Mariners Designate Dan Vogelbach, Outright Bryan Shaw
The Mariners have designated first baseman/designated hitter Daniel Vogelbach for assignment and outrighted reliever Bryan Shaw to their alternate training site, Greg Johns of MLB.com reports. The club also recalled a pair of players – outfielder Braden Bishop and utilityman Sam Haggerty – and optioned reliever Art Warren to their alternate site.
This continues a rapid fall from grace for Vogelbach, who seemed to be amid a breakout season just over 12 months ago. He began the 2019 campaign as a .238/.375/.505 hitter with 21 home runs in the first half. That production earned Vogelbach an All-Star nod, but his numbers have fallen off a cliff since he earned that honor. Vogelbach only managed a .162/.286/.341 line with nine homers in the second half of the season, and and although he did end up with 30 HRs in 558 plate appearances, his .208/.341/.439 showing was a significant letdown considering how the first few months of his year went.
Vogelbach and the Mariners no doubt hoped he’d rebound from 2019’s disastrous finish, but he has instead gotten worse this season. The 27-year-old took 64 PA prior to his designation and batted a ghastly .094/.250/.226 (40 wRC+) with two long balls. His .132 isolated power number represents a .100-point drop-off from last season’s mark. As such, Vogelbach began losing DH time recently to Tim Lopes, who also hasn’t offered much production.
Seattle will now have a week to trade, release or outright Vogelbach, who is out of minor league options. However, he is on a minimum salary this season and comes with four years of arbitration eligibility. He’s slated to make his first trip through the arb process during the upcoming offseason.
Shaw, meanwhile, had the option of declining his outright, but he’ll remain with the M’s organization. He was blown up for 12 earned runs on 13 hits and six walks in six innings before Seattle designated him Aug. 15.
White Sox Add Jake Burger To 60-Man Player Pool
The White Sox have added third baseman Jake Burger to their 60-man player pool, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times reports. He’ll join their alternate training site.
This is an important step for Burger, a recent first-round pick (No. 11 in 2017) whom injuries have ravaged during his professional career. Burger tore his left Achilles twice in 2018 and didn’t play at all that year. He also missed all of last season because of heel problems. Considering those serious issues, it’s encouraging that the 24-year-old is managing to work his way back yet again.
When Burger was actually healthy enough to play in the minors during his draft year, he logged a .263/.336/.412 line with five home runs in 217 plate appearances between rookie ball and Single-A. Baseball America then ranked Burger as the White Sox’s seventh-best prospect heading into 2018, making note of his impressive power and writing that “his leadership-oriented makeup is legendary.”
Mariners Acquire Jimmy Yacabonis
The Mariners announced that they’ve acquired non-roster right-hander Jimmy Yacabonis from the Padres in exchange for cash. He’d been in San Diego’s 60-man player pool at their alternate training site and will now head to the Mariners’ alternate site.
Yacabonis, 28, spent parts of the 2017-19 seasons in the Orioles’ bullpen but has yet to find his footing in the big leagues. He’s tallied 101 2/3 innings but carries a 5.75 ERA with 6.6 K/9 against 5.0 BB/9 in that time. The former 13th-round pick averages about 94 mph on a fastball that generates above-average spin, and he has a solid enough track record in the minor leagues despite his lack of success in the Majors. He’ll give the Mariners a bit of bullpen depth and may eventually emerge as an option to join a bullpen that could undergo some changes between now and the Aug. 31 trade deadline.
Tigers Select Casey Mize, Jorge Bonifacio
The Tigers announced a series of roster moves Wednesday, formally selecting the contract of right-hander Casey Mize (as had been previously announced) and also selecting the contract of outfielder Jorge Bonifacio. They’ll both join the big league roster. Righty Dario Agrazal and first baseman C.J. Cron have also been transferred from the 10-day injured list to the 45-day injured list to open space on the 40-man roster. Meanwhile, utilityman Harold Castro is headed to the 10-day injured list due to a strained left hamstring.
Mize, the 2018 No. 1 overall draft pick, will make his MLB debut against another debuting first-rounder: White Sox righty Dane Dunning. Mize is regarded as one of the game’s premier pitching prospects and a potential foundational piece of a rebuilding Tigers squad — one whom the club hopes can pitch atop its rotation through the 2026 season at least. He dominated opponents at Class-A Advanced and Double-A in 2019, working to a combined 2.55 ERA with a terrific 106-to-23 K/BB ratio in 109 1/3 frames.
Bonifacio is no stranger to the AL Central, having spent several years with the Royals as a right fielder and designated hitter. He’s a career .247/.319/.408 hitter in 713 Major League plate appearances and is looking for a rebound opportunity after a PED suspension more or less ended his tenure in Kansas City. Bonifacio did tally 21 plate appearances after being reinstated from that suspension, but he’d since been surpassed on the depth chart and was ultimately cut loose last November.
The injury to the 26-year-old Castro deprives the Tigers of some versatility off the bench. He’d appeared at shortstop, second base, third base and all three outfield positions in 2020 already — all while posting a respectable .276/.364/.379 slash through 33 plate appearances.
Red Sox Claim Andrew Triggs, Designate Stephen Gonsalves
The Red Sox have claimed righty Andrew Triggs off waivers from the Giants and designated southpaw Stephen Gonsalves for assignment in order to open a spot on the 40-man roster, per a team announcement. Triggs has been optioned to their alternate training site.
Back in 2016-17, the Athletics looked as though they might’ve unearthed a useful starter in Triggs after claiming him from the Orioles. He gave the A’s 121 1/3 frames of 4.29 ERA ball but with more encouraging secondary numbers: 3.88 FIP, 3.96 xFIP and SIERA, 7.8 K/9, 2.4 BB/9, 50.3 percent grounder rate. It wasn’t a world-beating performance, but Triggs looked like a capable fourth starter — a mighty fine outcome for a simple waiver claim.
Injuries, however, have spoiled those hopes. Triggs had surgery to repair the labrum in his left hip in 2017, cutting his season short, and 14 months later he underwent thoracic outlet surgery. He was bothered by nerve irritation for months leading up to that second procedure, and Triggs has totaled just 41 2/3 innings in the Majors since the end of that ’17 season (including one-third of an inning with the Giants in 2020).
The Red Sox are in dire need of serviceable options on the pitching staff, though, and Triggs’ background is clearly of some interest to chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom and his staff. The right-hander won’t join the big league staff just yet, but he could be an option at virtually any time given the ragged state of the Red Sox’ Major League staff.
Gonsalves, 26, could have a brief stay in the Red Sox organization. Boston claimed him earlier this month after the Mets designated him for assignment. The former fourth-round pick at one point a top-100 prospect as he rose through the ranks with the Twins, but Gonsalves has battled some arm troubles in recent years and struggled at the MLB level in very limited opportunities. The Sox likely hope to be able to sneak him through waivers and keep him in the player pool as a depth piece, but another club could show some interest in a waiver claim of its own.
Red Sox Designate Mike Shawaryn For Assignment
The Red Sox announced Wednesday that righty Mike Shawaryn has been designated for assignment in order to open a 40-man roster spot for newly claimed infielder Christian Arroyo. Righty Marcus Walden was optioned to the alternate training site to open a spot on the 28-man roster.
A fifth-rounder back in 2016, Shawaryn was considered one of the better arms in a thin Boston system from 2017-19, but he struggled in both Triple-A and particularly in the big leagues in 2019. Last season saw Shawaryn pitch to a 4.52 ERA with a lackluster 76-to-49 K/BB ratio in 89 2/3 frames with Triple-A Pawtucket. He was crushed for 22 runs on 26 hits (five homers) and 13 walks with 29 strikeouts in 20 1/3 innings in his first taste of the Majors.
Prior to a forgettable 2019 campaign, Shawaryn had a solid minor league track record. He’d never posted an ERA higher than 3.93 at any given level, and he turned in an impressive showing in a brief tour through the 2018 Arizona Fall League (three runs, 11 hits, four walks, 15 strikeouts in 12 2/3 innings). Shawaryn has worked primarily as a starter in the minors but did make a dozen relief outings with Pawtucket last season. Shawaryn has a minor league option remaining beyond 2020, which could enhance his appeal to other teams.
For the Red Sox, this only further distances the organization from the crop of prospects inherited by new chief baseball officer Chaim Bloom — a relatively common trend when a new regime takes over a baseball ops department. The Sox have moved on from Sam Travis (outrighted, traded), Brian Johnson (released) and Shawaryn in the past nine months — all former top-10 prospects within the organization.
Diamondbacks Release James Sherfy
The Diamondbacks have released reliever James Sherfy, per a team announcement. The right-hander had been part of their 60-man roster.
Sherfy will now have to find another organization for the first time in his career. The Diamondbacks used a 10th-round pick on Sherfy in 2013, and he went on to appear in the majors with the team in each of the previous three seasons. During that span Sherfy actually posted rather impressive overall numbers – a 2.98 ERA/3.82 FIP with 9.53 K/9 and 3.38 BB/9 – but he did so over just 45 1/3 innings and ended his D-backs career in poor fashion last season.
Sherfy threw a career-high 18 1/3 MLB frames in 2019, but opposing offenses pulverized him for 12 earned runs on 23 hits, including six homers. The 28-year-old did notch a 3.60 ERA with 12.6 K/9 and 5.4 BB/9 over 35 Triple-A frames, though he dealt with an upper body injury along the way. Arizona then outrighted him during the winter.