Yankees Select Nick Tropeano
The Yankees announced Thursday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Nick Tropeano from their alternate training site. He’ll go onto the 40-man roster and into the big league bullpen. Right-hander Tommy Kahnle, who had Tommy John surgery earlier this week, was moved to the 45-day IL to clear a 40-man spot for Tropeano.
It’s a homecoming of sorts for Tropeano, a Long Island native who grew up a Yankee fan. The 29-year-old (30 later this month) has pitched in parts of five big league seasons, working to a combined 4.51 ERA with 8.0 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and 1.57 HR/9. Tropeano was at one point a fairly well-regarded prospect in the Astros and Angels organizations, but his career has been derailed by persistent arm injuries. The righty had Tommy John surgery with the Angels back in 2016 and has since battled shoulder and elbow troubles that have limited him to a combined 182 innings (between the minors and big leagues) across the 2017-19 seasons.
Tropeano was hit hard in the Triple-A Pacific Coast League least year, posting a 5.87 ERA in 79 2/3 frames. That’s a notoriously hitter-friendly setting in the first place, though, and the same changes to the ball composition that led to a record level of home runs hit in the Majors also impacted Triple-A. Prior to the 2019 season, Tropeano carried a career 3.67 ERA in 223 Triple-A frames.
Jordy Mercer Elects Free Agency After Outright
The Tigers announced today that they have outrighted infielder Jordy Mercer. The veteran elected free agency after clearing waivers.
Mercer, who is closing in on his 34th birthday, hasn’t received many opportunities after being added to the active roster to open the season. He had made the club after inking a minor-league deal over the offseason.
Once a regular with the Pirates, Mercer joined the Detroit organization last year. After dealing with some injuries early, he ultimately turned in a productive .270/.310/.438 effort over 271 plate appearances. And defensive metrics were less than enthused with his glovework at shortstop.
Braves Activate Will Smith, Designate Scott Schebler
The Braves have activated lefty Will Smith, MLB.com’s Mark Bowman tweets. He had not yet pitched this year due to a prior coronavirus infection.
Recently acquired outfielder Scott Schebler was designated for assignment to open 40-man and active roster space. The organization also optioned righty Chad Sobotka and catcher Alex Jackson to trim down to 28 men on the active roster.
Smith inked a three-year deal over the winter after serving as the Giants’ closer. He’ll likely function in a setup role in Atlanta, pitching in front of fellow former San Francisco 9th-inning man Mark Melancon.
Schebler, 29, recorded a lone plate appearance with the Braves before being cut loose. He logged a thirty homer campaign with the Reds, so power isn’t in short supply, but he has not been a consistent on-base threat and ran out of chances in Cincinnati.
Mariners Option Bryan Shaw, Jose Marmolejos
The Mariners have optioned veteran righty Bryan Shaw and infielder/outfielder Jose Marmolejos, the club announced. Both will go to the team’s alternate training site.
It isn’t entirely clear whether Shaw has consented to the assignment. With more than five years of MLB service, he has the right instead to reject it in favor of free agency.
Shaw, 32, is still being paid by the Rockies under his free agent contract. He landed with the Seattle organization after being cut loose. After one initial scoreless appearance, the once-excellent setup man has surrendered three or more runs in each of his past three outings.
Indians Designate Christian Arroyo For Assignment
The Indians announced today that they have designated infielder Christian Arroyo for assignment. That cleared one of two roster spots the club needs to trim its active roster down to 28 men.
To open another, the Indians optioned outfielders Greg Allen and Daniel Johnson while activating fellow outfielder Delino DeShields. He had been sidelined on the COVID-19 injured list.
Arroyo, 25, was a first-round pick of the Giants back in 2013, he cracked Top 100 prospect rankings from 2016-18. The Giants, though, flipped him to the Rays in the 2017 Evan Longoria deal, and he never got much of a look on a deep Rays roster. Tampa Bay traded him to Cleveland last summer in a deal that primarily netted international bonus money. Arroyo is a .215/.280/.342 hitter in 251 plate appearances spread over the past four seasons but has a career .298/.359/.487 slash in 418 Triple-A plate appearances. Arroyo has logged time at second base, third base and shortstop, so he has some versatility, but he’s also out of minor league options.
Nationals Designate Emilio Bonifacio
The Nationals have designated veteran utilityman Emilio Bonifacio for assignment, the club announced. Righty James Bourque was also optioned down as the team trimmed its active roster as required.
Bonifacio, 35, hadn’t seen the majors in the past two seasons but drew the Nats’ attention as an offseason target. He seemed to have a bead on a utility role but ultimately saw little action, striking out twice in three plate appearances.
The Nationals ended up securing the services of Josh Harrison, who has been given more opportunities in the early going. And the team evidently still prefers not to give up on the out-of-options Wilmer Difo. That left Bonifacio on the chopping block.
Yankees Option Miguel Andujar
The Yankees have optioned infielder/outfielder Miguel Andujar to their alternate training site, per a club announcement. Fellow infielder Thairo Estrada and righty Nick Nelson were sent down with him.
It’s a bit of a surprise to see Andujar dropped, but he had struggled in limited opportunities thus far. The 25-year-old has reached base just one time in 14 plate appearances.
Andujar turned in a high-powered rookie season in 2018, but was knocked out early last year due to a shoulder injury. He entered the current campaign at full health, but was bypassed in the meantime by Gio Urshela, who has thus far maintained a shocking 2019 breakout.
The depth on hand left the Yanks looking for ways to get Andujar into the lineup. But there aren’t many more opportunities in an outfield that is fully loaded with healthy, productive hitters at the moment. And Andujar isn’t exactly a natural out in left field.
Just about any other club would’ve had a much longer leash. But the Yanks have a bevy of alternatives. Perhaps it’s best for all involved if Andujar gets some more time re-polishing his swing in camp.
It’s certainly fair to wonder what the future holds for Andujar in New York. Given the limits on trades this year, he could be an interesting chip to dangle. If he’s not able to re-take an active roster spot, he’ll finish the season shy of three full years of MLB service, which would mean waiting an extra season for arbitration and eventual free agency.
Marlins Sign Brandon Leibrandt
The Marlins have inked lefty Brandon Leibrandt, Craig Mish of Sports Grid reports on Twitter. He’ll join the organization’s 60-man player pool.
There’s little doubt the deal is of the minor-league variety. Liebrandt, son of Charlie, comes aboard after participating in the Somerset Professional Baseball Series staged by the indy ball Somerset Patriots.
The 27-year-old Leibrandt, a former sixth-round pick, turned in a sterling 1.42 ERA over 50 2/3 Triple-A innings in 2018. Despite recording only 32 strikeouts, he also limited opposing hitters to ten walks and just a single long ball.
Unfortunately, Leibrandt ended up requiring Tommy John surgery and was sidelined for all of the 2019 season. He had not returned to the affiliated ranks until this move to join the Miami organization.
Rockies Add Brian Serven To 60-Man Player Pool
The Rockies have added catcher Brian Serven to the 60-man player pool, per a team announcement. He’d still need to be added to the 40-man roster in order to be brought onto the active roster.
Serven, 25, was taken in the fifth round of the 2016 draft. He had a rough offensive season in 2019, turning in a .202/.286/.364 slash in 276 Double-A plate appearances. The organization is obviously still holding out hope that his abilities at the plate will catch up to his skill behind it.
Royals Outright Oscar Hernandez, Place Starling & Sparkman On IL
The Royals have announced a series of roster moves. Backstop Oscar Hernandez was outrighted after clearing waivers.
In other moves, the team has sent outfielder Bubba Starling and righty Glenn Sparkman to the injured list. The latter is dealing with a forearm strain. To replace them, catcher Meibrys Viloria and righty Scott Blewett were called up to the active roster.
Hernandez will report to the Royals’ alternate training site. The 27-year-old has seen minimal MLB action in three of the past four seasons. He’ll remain a depth option for the club.
It’s not yet fully clear what kind of absences are anticipated from Starling and Sparkman. The former has continued to struggle at the plate with limited opportunities. The latter has allowed three earned runs on nine hits in his five innings on the season.