Rangers Place Corey Kluber On 45-Day IL
JULY 28: The Rangers placed Kluber on the 45-day injured list Tuesday, per TR Sullivan of MLB.com. They also activated southpaw reliever Brett Martin, who had been shelved after a positive coronavirus test, recalled outfielder Adolis Garcia and optioned fellow outfielder Leody Taveras.
JULY 27: Rangers righty Corey Kluber has been diagnosed with a grade 2 tear of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder. He’ll spend at least a month resting the injury before attempting to resume throwing.
It’s a brutal outcome for both the 34-year-old Kluber and for a Rangers team that acquired him from the Indians over the offseason. Given the timing involved in the shortened season, it’s all but impossible to imagine him retaking the mound in 2020.
Kluber is earning at a $17.5MM annual rate this year and can be retained for a $18MM salary in 2020 (or bought out for $1MM). It’ll be awfully difficult for the Rangers to take that bet now.
The Rangers will call upon southpaw Kolby Allard for the time being. If all goes well, he’ll be a competent back-of-the-rotation piece, though it is hard to imagine the lefty coming close to Kluber’s potential contribution.
Indians Select Beau Taylor, Designate James Hoyt
The Indians have selected catcher Beau Taylor, designated right-hander James Hoyt for assignment and optioned outfielder Daniel Johnson, Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com reports.
Taylor, formerly an Athletics prospect whom the Indians signed to a minor league contract last offseason, is up as insurance as the the Indians await word on Roberto Perez. The Indians’ starting backstop and one of their most valuable contributors a year ago, Perez is dealing with right shoulder soreness at the moment. They should know more on his condition Wednesday, but for now, they’re down to Taylor and former Red Sox starter Sandy Leon as their top two catchers.
Since he debuted in the majors with the Astros in 2016, the 33-year-old Hoyt has amassed 80 innings – including 8 1/3 during his first season in Cleveland in 2019 – and put up a 4.16 ERA/3.92 FIP with 11.7 K/9 and 2.92 BB/9. Notably, Hoyt carries a rather impressive track record in Triple-A, where he has logged a 3.09 ERA with 12.1 K/9 against 3.3 BB/9 over 218 2/3 frames. And considering Hoyt has another minor league option remaining, it wouldn’t be particularly surprising to see another team take a chance on him.
Mariners Select Joe Odom
The Mariners announced that they have selected catcher Joseph Odom‘s contract and sent left-hander Taylor Guilbeau to their alternate training site. Guilbeau will remain a part of their taxi squad.
The Odom addition gives the Mariners a full 40-man roster, and it could put the 28-year-old in position to make his major league debut. Odom entered the pro ranks as a 13th-round pick of the Braves in 2013, but they lost him to the Mariners a few years later in the 2017 Rule 5 Draft. He has little experience at the Triple-A level, though, and generally hasn’t produced much as a hitter in minor league ball. Through 1,668 plate appearances – including 100 in Triple-A – Odom has batted .239/.305/.366 with 34 home runs.
Now that he’s on his way to Seattle, Odom will give the team another backstop option alongside Austin Nola and Joe Hudson (though the M’s scratched Nola from their lineup Tuesday for an unknown reason). The Mariners have been without starting catcher Tom Murphy so far this year because of a broken bone in his foot.
Astros Place Joe Biagini On Injured List, Select Andre Scrubb
The Astros announced that they’ve placed right-handed reliever Joe Biagini on the 10-day injured list due to shoulder soreness and, in a corresponding move, selected the contract of right-hander Andre Scrubb from their alternate training site.
Biagini, 30, averaged 94.5 mph on his fastball as a reliever from 2018-19 but came out of the gates in 2020 averaging a diminished 92.6 mph on that heater. He allowed a run on two hits with a strikeout in two-thirds of an inning in his lone 2020 outing. Biagini struggled in his time with the ‘Stros last year, but he turned in a 3.78 ERA with a strikeout per inning and solid control in 50 frames before being traded from Toronto to Houston.
Scrubb, 25, has yet to advance to Triple-A but will now jump directly to the big leagues. Houston acquired him in the 2019 trade that sent Tyler White to the Dodgers. He split last year between the Double-A affiliates for Houston and L.A., pitching to a combined 2.78 ERA with 10.6 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9. He’s not among the organization’s top-ranked prospects, but his solid showing in Double-A last year landed him in the team’s 60-man player pool (and now on the 40-man roster).
With Scrubb joining the bullpen and Bigaini landing on the injured list, the Houston bullpen now has an incredible seven pitchers who entered the season without so much as a day of MLB experience. In addition to Biagini, the Astros also have Brad Peacock, Austin Pruitt, Rogelio Armenteros, Justin Verlander and Jose Urquidy on the injured list at the moment. Given the mounting number of injuries, it’s not difficult to see why the club is pursuing a depth pickup of Fernando Rodney, and it wouldn’t be a surprise if the ‘Stros were to make some similar additions in the near future.
Giants Designate Rob Brantly For Assignment
The Giants announced this afternoon that they’ve designated catcher Rob Brantly for assignment. His spot on the roster goes to fellow backstop Chadwick Tromp, whose contract has been selected.
Brantly, 31, appeared in just one game with the Giants and went 0-for-3 before today’s DFA. He’d been thrust into an unexpectedly prominent role, teaming with Tyler Heineman to shoulder the bulk of the catching load for the Giants after Buster Posey opted out of the 2020 season. The well-traveled veteran has seen action in parts of six MLB seasons, hitting at a combined .228/.292/.330 clip in 432 plate appearances. He has a solid 28 percent caught-stealing rate from behind the dish but much less favorable number in terms of pitch framing.
In moving from Brantly to Tromp, the Giants will take a look at a younger option who has a career .275/.353/.439 slash in part of the three Triple-A seasons. The 25-year-old, Aruban-born Tromp spent his entire pro career with the Reds organization prior to 2020, but he became a minor league free agent last winter and latched on with the Giants. He’ll now get his first look at the MLB level. Joey Bart is considered to be the Giants’ future everyday catcher, but a strong showing from Tromp could put him in line to serve as a backup or part-time option down the road.
Mets Designate Tyler Bashlor For Assignment
The Mets announced Tuesday that they’ve designated right-hander Tyler Bashlor for assignment. His roster spot will go to southpaw David Peterson, who is being selected to the 40-man roster for his MLB debut.
Bashlor, 27, has seen time in the Majors in each of the past two seasons but hasn’t yet stood out. Over 54 frames in the big leagues, the former 11th-round pick has a 5.33 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9. Bashlor averages 96 mph on his heater, but he’s an extreme fly-ball pitcher (career 31.2 percent ground-ball rate) who has averaged two home runs per nine inning pitched in the Majors.
Bashlor does have a sharp track record in Double-A and Triple-A, which, combined with his high-end fastball spin (97th percentile) and a remaining minor league option, could make him appealing to another organization in need of some bullpen depth. The Mets have a week to trade Bashlor, place him on outright waivers or release him.
Marlins Claim Mike Morin
The Marlins have claimed righty Mike Morin from the Brewers, Jon Heyman of MLB Network reports on Twitter. The Miami organization is continuing to gather big league-capable players amidst a coronavirus-driven roster reshuffling.
Morin, 29, split the 2019 campaign between Minnesota and Philadelphia, logging a combined 4.62 ERA with a 26-to-10 K/BB ratio in 50 2/3 frames. Morin punched out 95 hitters in his first 94 MLB frames from 2014-15 but has since seen his strikeout numbers plummet. He made the Brewers’ Opening Day roster but was quickly jettisoned when the Brewers welcomed southpaw Eric Lauer back from the Covid-19 injured list. Morin has had multiple effective seasons but has struggled to find consistency at the MLB level. He’ll bring 224 innings of MLB experience, a 4.65 ERA and a much better 3.60 FIP to a Marlins bullpen that is undergoing a rapid reconstruction following the team’s outbreak.
Mets To Sign Bruce Maxwell
The Mets have agreed to a deal with catcher Bruce Maxwell, per Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). He’ll report to the team’s alternative training site once he passes a physical and gets a pair of clean coronavirus tests.
Maxwell is unquestionably best known for his decision to kneel during the playing of the National Anthem when he played for the Athletics in 2017. He drew a lot of attention of all kinds at the time, which only increased the spotlight on his later arrest and subsequent plea arrangement. ESPN.com’s Howard Bryant has authored an important account of Maxwell’s situation.
The A’s dropped Maxwell in the wake of the 2018 season, in which he performed poorly on the field in addition to his off-field troubles. He has not suited up with another affiliated organization since.
Maxwell, now 29, did have a successful 2019 showing in the Mexican League. Over 487 plate appearances, he turned in an excellent .325/.407/.559 slash and hit 24 home runs.
David Peterson To Debut For Mets
The Mets will promote well-regarded pitching prospect David Peterson to start tonight’s game, according to Tim Healey of Newsday (via Twitter). That’ll require active and 40-man roster moves to make way for Peterson.
Peterson, 24, is a former first-round selection who has shown well in a steady march up the ladder. Last year, he worked to a 4.19 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.9 BB/9 over 116 innings at the Double-A level.
The Mets are in a bit of a pickle with their pitching staff. Corey Oswalt struggled in a spot start in the place of the injured Marcus Stroman, who’s still hopeful of a quick rebound.
Bringing up Peterson now appears to set him up to log a full year of service, if he can stick in the big leagues, based upon a pro rata conversion to the typical 172-day scale. Waiting just one more day would’ve foreclosed that possibility, but the Mets are obviously angling to win now and need the start this evening.
Athletics Release Daniel Gossett
The Athletics have released right-hander Daniel Gossett and added fellow righty Ben Bracewell to their 60-man player pool, the club announced. Bracewell will report to the A’s alternate training site in San Jose.
Oakland designated Gossett for assignment last week after a couple of years of struggles in the majors and then a pair of injury-ruined seasons. Now 27 years old, the former second-round pick (2014) recorded a 5.91 ERA/5.67 FIP with 6.54 K/9 and 3.03 BB/9 in 115 1/3 innings and 23 starts as an Athletic from 2017-18 before undergoing Tommy John surgery in the latter of those seasons. He hasn’t taken a major league mound since June 3, 2018, though potential selling points for other clubs include a 2.87 ERA with 8.2 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in 128 1/3 Triple-A frames and one more minor league option.
Bracewell, 29, hasn’t gotten an opportunity to pitch in the majors yet, having been a career-long A’s minor leaguer since debuting as a professional in 2014. He spent parts of the previous three seasons in Triple-A ball and has done a respectable job at the minors’ top level, where he has pitched to a 3.88 ERA with 7.4 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 174 innings.