Mets Activate Jared Hughes From Injured List; Move Jed Lowrie To 45-Day IL
The Mets announced a series of roster moves this morning, including the news that right-hander Jared Hughes has been activated from the injured list. Righty Franklyn Kilome was optioned to the minor league training site to make 30-man roster room for Hughes. Also of note is the news that infielder Jed Lowrie has been moved from the 10-day IL to the 45-day IL.
Hughes is making his way back from a positive COVID-19 diagnosis that involved about 10 days of symptoms and kept the veteran reliever sidelined for much of the Mets’ Summer Camp. Hughes signed a Major League contract with New York at the end of June that will pay him roughly $260K (the prorated portion of a $700K deal) over the 2020 season. The groundball specialist is coming off a season that saw him post a 4.04 ERA over 71 1/3 combined innings for the Reds and Phillies, as a 1.6 HR/9 (more than twice his previous career average) contributed to that higher than usual ERA.
From 2014-18, Hughes was quietly one of baseball’s most durable and effective relievers, with a 2.41 ERA, 1.99 K/BB rate, and 5.8 K/9 over 329 innings with the Pirates, Brewers, and Reds. Anything close to that type of production would be an enormous boost to a Mets bullpen that has been inconsistent in the early going.
An official designation of left knee discomfort sent Lowrie to the injured list back on July 20, though GM Brodie Van Wagenen recently revealed that Lowrie was dealing with PCL laxity. A wide variety of leg problems (including a sprained left knee capsule and a right calf strain) kept Lowrie out of action for all but nine games of the 2019 season, and today’s news would hint that he is unlikely to play at all in 2020.
Lowrie signed a two-year, $20MM deal in the 2018-19 offseason that stands as a near-total bust of a signing. In the Mets’ defense, $20MM isn’t an exorbitant amount for an infielder who had posted very strong numbers with the A’s in 2017-18 (37 homers and a .272/.356/.448 slash line over 1325 plate appearances). Lowrie also played in 310 games over those two seasons, so while he had a lengthy injury history in previous years and 2019 was his age-35 season, it was still hard to imagine that Lowrie wouldn’t be able to contribute whatsoever.
Cubs To Promote Justin Steele To Active Roster
10:42AM: The Cubs announced Steele’s promotion, and in a corresponding move, right-hander James Norwood was placed on the 10-day injured list (retroactive to July 30) due to right shoulder inflammation. Pitching in his third season for the Cubs, Norwood has a 16.20 ERA over 1 2/3 innings pitched this season.
9:22AM: The Cubs will promote left-hander Justin Steele to their 30-man roster prior to today’s game, The Athletic’s Patrick Mooney reports (Twitter link). Steele is already on the 40-man, though a corresponding move will need to be made to create room on the big league roster.
The 25-year-old Steele was a fifth-round pick for the Cubs in the 2014 draft, and he’ll now get his first taste of MLB action following six seasons and 320 2/3 innings pitched in the minors. Steele has worked almost exclusively as a starter, though he will be used as a reliever in Chicago to try and help the struggling Cubs bullpen. Some extra southpaw depth is particularly necessary since Kyle Ryan and Rex Brothers, the two lefties in the relief corps, have both gotten off to a tough start.
Steele’s career was stalled by a Tommy John surgery in 2017, though he has a 3.62 ERA, 2.41 K/BB rate, and 8.9 K/9 over his minor league career. MLB Pipeline ranks him as Chicago’s 21st-best prospect in Chicago’s farm system, noting Steeler’s plus four-seamer and “one of the best curveballs in the system.”
Mets Acquire Billy Hamilton From Giants For Jordan Humphreys
The Mets and Giants have agreed to a trade that will sent veteran outfielder Billy Hamilton to New York in exchange for right-hander Jordan Humphreys, MLB.com’s Anthony DiComo reports (Twitter link).
After signing a minor league deal with San Francisco in February, Hamilton will move on without ever officially suiting up for the club. Hamilton’s chances of making the Opening Day roster were likely scuttled by an injured list stint that caused him to miss over a week of the Giants’ Summer Camp.
Hamilton’s heralded center field glove will be a boost to a Mets team that recently lost Jake Marisnick to a hamstring strain, leaving the team defensively short-handed in the outfield and without a late-game sub for Brandon Nimmo in center. Beyond defense, Hamilton’s blazing speed gives the Mets a strong candidate for pinch-running situations, and potential usage as the automatic runner at second base in extra-inning games.
Humphreys was designated for assignment earlier this week, ending his Mets tenure after 169 2/3 innings since being selected in the 18th round of the 2015 draft. Only two of those innings have come since June 2017, however, as Humphreys missed almost two full years due to Tommy John surgery and ulnar nerve surgery. MLB Pipeline has already ranked Humphreys as the 23rd-best prospect in the Giants’ farm system and credits the righty with a plus fastball, though “San Francisco probably won’t know exactly what it has in Humphreys until he returns to game action in 2021.” Essentially, the Giants are taking a flier on a young arm in exchange for a veteran who wasn’t in their plans.
Reds Place Joey Votto On Injured List; Activate Anthony DeSclafani
As expected, the Reds activated right-hander Anthony DeSclafani from the 10-day injured list today, as DeSclafani is scheduled to start the first game of a double-header against the Tigers. He will take the roster spot of a notable figure, as first baseman Joey Votto will head to the injured list.
The Cincinnati Enquirer’s Bobby Nightengale reports that Votto told the Reds he was experiencing symptoms of COVID-19, though he hasn’t had any positive test results for the virus. As opposed to the regular IL, the coronavirus injured list doesn’t have any minimum absence time attached, so Votto could be back in action within a couple of days if he is feeling better and he continues to test negative.
Matt Davidson tested positive for COVID-19 last week, a day after appearing in the Reds’ season opener. This created worries that the entire Reds clubhouse could have potentially been exposed to the coronavirus, and those worries intensified when Mike Moustakas and Nick Senzel both began to exhibit symptoms. Thankfully, neither Moustakas or Senzel tested positive for the virus and both are now back on the active roster, and Davidson was also cleared to return last Friday.
A right teres major strain sidelined DeSclafani just prior to the Reds’ first game of the season, though the injury was only thought to be serious enough to require a minimal IL stint and one missed start for the right-hander. DeSclafani is looking to build on a solid 2019 season that saw him post a 3.89 ERA, 3.41 K/BB rate, and 9.0 K/9 over 31 starts and 166 2/3 innings for Cincinnati. The man they call “Disco” seemed to be emerging as a quality rotation piece for the Reds in 2015-16 before a series of injuries set him back, including elbow problems that kept him out of action for the entire 2017 campaign.
Marlins Acquire Richard Bleier
AUGUST 1: In a corresponding roster move, the Orioles selected the contract of catcher Bryan Holaday, per Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com (via Twitter). Holaday becomes the third catcher on the O’s active roster, joining Pedro Severino and Chance Sisco.
JULY 31: The Orioles announced that they have traded left-hander Richard Bleier to the Marlins for a player to be named later.
For the Marlins, this is clearly an attempt to fill in a roster that has been decimated by the coronavirus. Miami has seen a whopping 18 players test positive for the illness, which has prevented the club from taking the field this week.
In Bleier, the Marlins are getting a 33-year-old Davie, Fla., native who has experienced his share of success in the majors. Despite a measly lifetime strikeout rate of 4.47 per nine and a sub-90 mph fastball, Bleier has managed a 2.99 ERA/3.74 FIP across 177 1/3 innings with the Yankees and Orioles since he debuted in 2016. Excellent walk and groundball rates of 1.47 and 62.4 percent, respectively, have enabled Bleier to prevent runs at such an impressive clip.
While Bleier logged a woeful 5.37 ERA over 55 1/3 frames a year ago, he gave the O’s three scoreless frames this season before the rebuilding club parted with him. Bleier’s on a prorated $915K salary this year and still has two more seasons of arbitration eligibility left.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/1/20
It’s been a busy sports day with the NBA and NHL back in action, not to mention the many MLB games still underway. As the action rolls along, we’ll use this post to review some minor moves you may have missed…
- Catcher Jonathan Lucroy has been assigned to the Red Sox alternate training site in Pawtucket after clearing waivers, per Alex Speier of the Boston Globe (via Twitter). He’ll stay in their 60-player pool after catching a total of two innings behind the plate for the big-league team. Lucroy, 34, has enjoyed a long and productive career, but a steep dropoff in production following his second All-Star appearance in 2016 has led to a meandering period for the veteran receiver. In addition to the Red Sox, Lucroy has dressed for the Cubs, Angels, Athletics, Rockies, and Rangers since coming to semi-stardom with the Brewers.
- The Cubs signed pitcher Matt Dermody out of the Independent League, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale (via Twitter). Everyone is in need of extra pitching depth these days it seems, though the Cubs have a particularly unsettled situation in their bullpen. Dermody is a 30-year-old southpaw who last appeared in the majors in 2017 for the Blue Jays. He made 23 appearances that season, going 2-0 with a 4.43 ERA/6.25 FIP across 22 1/3 innings. Cubs relievers have been the worst such group in the game so far this season. Prior to Saturday’s action, they pitched to a combined 9.55 ERA/9.51 FIP across 21 2/3 innings.
- The Giants assigned catcher Rob Brantly to their alternate training site, per The Athletic’s Andrew Baggarly (via Twitter). The 31-year-old catcher cleared waivers after appearing in one game for the Giants, going hitless in three at-bats. Tyler Heineman and Chadwick Tromp are the catchers that remain on San Francisco’s active roster.
Marlins Acquire James Hoyt
The Cleveland Indians have traded reliever James Hoyt to the Miami Marlins for cash considerations, per TribeInsider (via Twitter). Hoyt was designated for assignment on July 28th.
The Marlins continue their efforts to re-stock their pitching supply after more than half their active roster tested positive for coronavirus. They will need to field a big league roster as soon as Tuesday when they’re set to resume play. Basically, if there’s a pitcher with major league experience on waivers these days, chances are the Marlins will claim them. In the past week, they claimed Josh D. Smith and Justin Shafer from the Reds and Mike Morin from the Brewers. They also signed Pat Venditte and traded for Richard Bleier from the Orioles.
Hoyt pitched for the Astros from 2016 to 2018, making 66 appearances out of the pen across those three seasons. While he owned an unexceptional 4.40 ERA, a 3.84 FIP and 3.92 K/BB ratio suggested a better effort. He made just 8 appearances in his lone season with the Indians, serving primarily as organizational depth. In Triple-A, he continued to put up solid numbers (2.93 ERA, 3.50 K/BB across 30 2/3 innings).
While no spring chicken at the age of 33, Hoyt represents a solid low-cost option for the Marlins as they look to fill out their roster. For Hoyt, these are obviously not the conditions under which he would choose to break out as an MLB regular, but he nonetheless has the opportunity to do exactly that if he can provide Miami some stability out of the pen.
Astros Place Chris Devenski On Injured List, Select Carlos Sanabria
The Astros have placed pitcher Chris Devenski on the injured list, retroactive to July 29th, per Mark Berman of Fox 26 (via Twitter). To replace him on the roster, Houston selected the contract of Carlos Sanabria.
As with many clubs around the game, consistently fielding a competent pitching staff is going to be bit of a whirlwind this season. Devenski has been a cog in their bullpen for the past four seasons, though a 4.56 ERA/4.57 marks an underwhelming last couple of seasons. Still, the Astros are working a lot of young arms into the mix this season, and Devenski’s veteran presence could help stabilize the relief corps.
For now, however, they’ll look elsewhere. Ryan Pressly continues to be held out of action, though he’s very close to being game-ready, per Brian McTaggart of MLB.com. Pressly figures to be a significant presence in the back end of the bullpen, especially with Will Harris now in Washington.
McTaggart also notes that Forrest Whitley has been dealing with some arm soreness. Despite a difficult season in 2019, Whitley will almost surely make his debut this year since there’s no Triple-A season. Still, he’ll have to get healthy first.
Sanabria, 23, will make his major-league debut should he get into a game. The 6’3″ right-hander pitched only as high as Double-A in 2019, making 37 appearances with a 3.11 ERA despite 5.9 BB/9. He’s a live-armed pitcher with some promise if he can get his command right. Fangraphs has him as the Astros’ 22nd ranked prospect.
Angels Select Jose Rodriguez, Option Kyle Keller
The Los Angeles Angels announced a pair of roster moves after last night’s ballgame. Right-hander Kyle Keller has been optioned to their alternative training site. In his place, righty Jose Rodriguez has been selected to join the major-league roster.
Keller, 27, made two appearances this season, allowing 2 earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He was acquired this past offseason from the Miami Marlins for Jose Estrada. Keller made his major-league debut with ten appearances last season. He has consistently put up more than 10 strikeouts per nine innings in the minor leagues since being selected in the 18th round of the 2015 draft. He’ll likely find his way back to the major-league roster at some point this season.
Rodriguez, 24, made 9 appearances for the Angels last season as a long man out of the pen (1 start), putting up a 2.75 ERA across 19 2/3 innings. Rodriguez has primarily been a starter in the minors, though it’s been a less-than-stellar last couple of seasons in the upper levels of the Angels’ system. He posted a 6.57 ERA across Double-A and Triple-A in 2019.
Dodgers Option Tony Gonsolin, Recall Mitch White
The Dodgers have made a change to their pitching staff, optioning right-hander Tony Gonsolin and recalling Mitch White from the team’s alternate training site, as reported by J.P. Hoornstra of the Orange County Register. White is poised to make his Major League debut.
White, a 25-year-old right-hander and former second-round selection, will likely get his first crack at the Major Leagues as a reliever after being brought up primarily as a starting pitcher. The California product was regarded by multiple outlets as a top-100 prospect in baseball prior to the 2018 season. Since then, he’s produced mixed results in the upper minors. After a down year in 2018, he spent last season between Double- and Triple-A, posting a cumulative 5.09 ERA. In 93 2/3 minor-league innings last year, he struck out 105 batters. In Triple-A, he appeared in 3 games as a reliever, a role in which he continued during the Arizona Fall League.
Gonsolin is yet another young, bright arm in the Dodgers organization. He started last night’s game against the Diamondbacks, tossing four scoreless innings and allowing just one hit. He’ll likely be given plenty of chances to pitch for Los Angeles this year, but the current roster was simply short one in the bullpen after Josh Sborz was optioned yesterday. Gonsolin was impressive as a rookie last year, posting a 2.93 ERA in his first 40 innings as a big leaguer. He’s been deployed both as a starter and reliever for the Dodgers.