Mariners To Promote Kyle Lewis
The Mariners are set to promote outfield prospect Kyle Lewis for his MLB debut, as was first made apparent in a congratulatory tweet from his his college team at Mercer. Seattle has multiple open spots on its 40-man roster, so a corresponding move won’t be necessary.
Lewis, 24, was the No. 11 overall pick in the 2016 draft but has seen his development slowed by a disastrous knee injury that occurred just months after he was drafted. While playing for Seattle’s short-season Class-A affiliate in July 2016, Lewis tore the ACL, medial meniscus and lateral meniscus in his right knee in a grisly home plate collision. He suited up for only a combined 79 games in his first two professional seasons, and he underwent a second knee surgery — an arthroscopic procedure — shortly before the 2018 season began.
At the time of the draft, Lewis was seen as one of the top college bats available, and it was something of a surprise to see him make it to the Mariners with the No. 11 pick. The organization surely hoped him capable of being a quick mover through the minor league ranks, but the knee injury and lingering complications threw a wrench into any plans to fast-track him to the big leagues. Even in spite of his injury, Lewis ranked among the game’s Top 100 prospects prior to both the 2017 and 2018 seasons, per Baseball America and MLB.com, but a lackluster showing in Double-A last season (.220/.309/.371) caused his stock to dip.
Lewis may not have completely resurrected his prospect status, but he’s certainly performed better in his second trip through Double-A in 2019. He’s been healthy enough to log a career-high 517 plate appearances, batting .263/.342/.398 along the way. The power numbers aren’t where the club would hope, but even that modest line was nine percent better than that of a league-average hitter in the Texas League, by measure of wRC+.
MLB.com lists Lewis tenth among Mariners farmhands at this point, writing that he has an “arm that fits in right field and enough range to stay there.” Fangraphs’ Kiley McDaniel and Eric Longenhagen ranked Lewis eighth in the Mariners’ considerably improved farm system, noting that he looked more “explosive” in Spring Training than he had in seasons past due to improved health in his knee. They tabbed him as a potential middle-of-the-order hitter with impressive raw power but also some strikeout concerns. This season’s 29.4 percent strikeout rate in Arkansas presumably didn’t do anything to curb those concerns.
Looking ahead, the Mariners have several more established outfield options immediately atop their depth chart, though both Mitch Haniger and Domingo Santana are currently injured. They’re controlled for next year, though, as is Mallex Smith. If that trio is healthy and all still on the Mariners’ roster — never a sure thing with perhaps the game’s most active general manager, Jerry Dipoto, at the helm — they’d likely be in line for the bulk of the outfield reps in 2020. Other options on the 40-man roster include Jake Fraley, Braden Bishop and Keon Broxton, although the latter of that group seems likely to come off the 40-man roster this winter given his struggles with three different organizations.
It’s possible that a role for Lewis could be opened up with some offseason maneuvering, but it’s equally or more likely that he’ll head to Triple-A Tacoma to begin the 2020 season.
Cubs To Promote Nico Hoerner
The Cubs are set to call up top infield prospect Nico Hoerner, tweets MLB Network’s Jon Heyman. Paul Sullivan of the Chicago Tribune suggested earlier this morning that Hoerner could be in line to get the call with both Javier Baez and Addison Russell dealing with injuries. The Cubs will need to make a 40-man roster move in order to accommodate the promotion.
Hoerner, 22, was the No. 24 overall selection in the 2018 draft and is widely considered to be among the game’s 100 best prospects. The Stanford product hit .284/.344/.399 with three home runs, 16 doubles, three triples and eight steals through 294 plate appearances in the pitcher-friendly Double-A Southern League this season. Beyond the leaguewide hitting environment, Hoerner’s production in Double-A is all the more impressive when considering that he played in just 14 games below the Double-A level before being rather aggressively promoted there by the Chicago organization. He did turn in an outstanding .337/.362/.506 showing through 94 plate appearances in last year’s Arizona Fall League as well.
Currently, Hoerner ranks 40th on Baseball America’s top 100 prospects list. He also checked in 47th on the midseason re-rank at MLB.com and 51st over at Fangraphs. He’s an extremely high-contact hitter, having fanned in fewer than 10 percent of his professional plate appearances, and he draws praise for his above-average speed as well. There’s some debate as to which middle-infield position Hoerner will ultimately play at the MLB level, but the Cubs have given him quite a bit more time at shortstop early in his minor league career.
Hoerner didn’t need to be added to the 40-man roster to be protected from the Rule 5 Draft this winter, so the Cubs are being more aggressive with his service clock than they have with previous prospects (most notably Kris Bryant). Chicago, though, saw Russell go down with a potential concussion yesterday and lost Baez to a hairline fracture in his thumb a day prior. The Cubs are 4.5 games back of the Cardinals for the NL Central lead and suddenly have a mere 1.5-game lead over the scorching Diamondbacks for the second Wild Card spot in the National League, giving them even greater reason for urgency.
It seems unlikely that Hoerner will simply be in the big leagues to stay from this point forth. He’s barely a year removed from being drafted and has yet to suit up for a single game of activity at the Triple-A level. An assignment to Iowa to begin next season would make sense, though now that he’s on the 40-man roster, Hoerner has at least put himself in a position to try to force the team’s hand and keep him in the Majors. Should he indeed play his way into a long-term spot on the roster, he’d be controllable through at least the 2025 season and become arbitration-eligible in the 2022-23 offseason. That said, it still seems likelier that he’ll get some Triple-A time next season, and he’d only need to spend about five weeks there for the Cubs to push his path to free agency back to the 2026-27 offseason.
Pirates Select James Marvel’s Contract
Sunday: The Pirates have made Marvel’s call-up official. Outfielder Jason Martin was transferred to the 60-day injured list with a dislocated left shoulder to clear 40-man roster space, while right-hander Yefry Ramírez was reinstated from the 10-day IL.
Saturday: The Pirates will call up right-hander James Marvel to start Sunday’s game against the Cardinals, manager Clint Hurdle told MLB.com’s Adam Berry and other media. Pittsburgh will have to make another roster move before selecting Marvel’s contract from Triple-A, as the Bucs currently have a full 40-man roster.
A 36th-round pick for the Pirates in the 2015 draft, Marvel surely would’ve gone higher had Tommy John surgery not wiped out almost two full seasons of eligibility at Duke. He recovered from that early-career injury setback to work his way up the Bucs’ minor league ladder, posting increasingly impressive numbers in the upper levels. Marvel has a combined 2.94 ERA, 7.5 K/9, and 2.96 K/BB rate over 162 1/3 innings (101 2/3 IP at Double-A, 60 2/3 IP at Triple-A) in 2019.
Marvel isn’t ranked within MLB.com’s list of the top 30 Pittsburgh prospects, though since the Pirates will be exploring all avenues for pitching this winter, there’s no risk in seeing what Marvel can do against Major League competition. Marvel doesn’t miss many bats, though he induces a lot of grounders and (perhaps most notably given baseball’s current hitting environment), doesn’t allow many home runs. The 25-year-old has only an 0.6 HR/9 over his entire minor league career, maintaining that average even during the most homer-happy Triple-A season in history.
Twins Acquire Ryan LaMarre
The Twins announced they have acquired outfielder Ryan LaMarre from the Braves in exchange for cash considerations. He’ll be added to the club’s 40-man roster, tweets Dan Hayes of the Athletic. As Hayes notes, LaMarre won’t be postseason-eligible as a player acquired from outside the organization after September 1. Nevertheless, LaMarre is still eligible to be traded because he signed a minor-league contract with the Braves’ organization. As we’ve discussed at MLBTR in the past, the July 31 trade deadline applies only to players on major-league contracts.
It’ll be the second Twins stint for the 30 year-old, who got into 43 games with Minnesota last season before they designated him for assignment. After wrapping up 2018 with the White Sox, LaMarre was cut loose and sent back to the open market, where he signed with the Braves on the aforementioned minor-league pact last November. LaMarre was productive for the Braves Triple-A affiliate in Gwinnett, slashing .311/.380/.477, albeit with a .416 BABIP. He also started 44 games in center field for the Stripers, so he’ll give the Twins a center field capable depth piece for the regular season’s final month.
LaMarre will take the 40-man spot of Michael Pineda, who was suspended for the rest of the season yesterday.
Roenis Elias Suffers Hamstring Strain
TODAY: The MRI revealed a Grade 1 strain, Martinez told MASNsports.com’s Byron Kerr and other reporters. Elias will miss some time, though a Grade 1 is the least-serious level of strain, and Martinez noted that the reliever is “a little less sore than” he was during his previous hamstring injury. More will be known about a recovery timeline when Elias meets with team doctors.
THURSDAY: Nationals reliever Roenis Elias exited tonight’s contest after experiencing discomfort while delivering a pitch. Manager Dave Martinez said after the game that Elias has “tweaked his hamstring” (video link via MASN’s Twitter account).
Worryingly, the injury occurred to the same muscle that had forced Elias to the injured list not long after he was acquired. The southpaw is likely to undergo an MRI tomorrow to survey the damage. Martinez did indicate that muscle tightness, rather than a pop or other more concerning indication, led to Elias’s removal.
At this point, it’s impossible to know how significant an issue this’ll be for the Nats. Elias was added to serve as the team’s lefty setup option. At the moment, closer Sean Doolittle is the only southpaw in the bullpen. Sam Freeman and Matt Grace are both in the organization but would need to be added to the 40-man roster to come up.
Zack Godley Elects Free Agency
Right-hander Zack Godley has chosen to become a free agent rather than accept an outright assignment to the Blue Jays’ Triple-A affiliate, MLB Trade Rumors’ Steve Adams reports (Twitter link). Godley cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Jays earlier this week.
It’s been a tumultuous season for Godley, who began the year in the Diamondbacks’ rotation but fell out of favor after a rough start. A move to the bullpen also didn’t help, as Godley was designated for assignment after posting a 6.39 ERA over 76 innings. Toronto claimed Godley in August, and while his bottom-line results (a 3.94 ERA) were improved, the righty’s 6.8 K/9 and 1.71 K/BB rate over his 16 innings as a Blue Jay didn’t catch the eye of team brass.
Godley is eligible for arbitration for the first time this season, and it remains to be seen if he’ll catch on with another team and prove that tendering a contract to him this winter is a worthy investment, or if clubs could just wait until after the tender deadline has passed before offering him a contract. It’s possible Godley elected free agency because he and his representatives already have a line on an interested team, as the 29-year-old does have two seasons of solid work under his belt in 2017-18. Even a first-year arbitration salary wouldn’t be too pricey given Godley’s struggles in 2019, so a team in need of rotation depth could opt to sign him now rather than risk losing him elsewhere in December.
Blue Jays Select Anthony Kay, Designate Beau Taylor
The Blue Jays have selected the contract of southpaw Anthony Kay, as per a team announcement. Kay will make his Major League debut tonight, starting Toronto’s game against the Rays. To create room on the 40-man roster, the Jays have designated catcher Beau Taylor for assignment.
It was less than six weeks ago that Kay came to the Jays from the Mets, joining fellow pitching prospect Simeon Woods-Richardson as the return in the trade that sent Marcus Stroman to New York. Kay had struggled to a 6.61 ERA over seven appearances for the Mets’ Triple-A affiliate in Syracuse at the time of the deal, though the change of scenery to the Jays’ Triple-A team in Buffalo proved fruitful, as he had a 2.50 ERA over seven starts (36 innings) with a 9.8 K/9 and 1.77 K/BB rate. Kay’s control suffered a bit on his new team, as he posted a 5.5 BB/9, though he did cut back on the home runs that plagued him at Syracuse.
Kay will reach the big leagues less than two years after making his professional debut. Drafted 31st overall by the Mets in 2016, the UConn product missed all of 2017 recovering from Tommy John surgery, and then threw 122 2/3 frames in 2018 pitching at two different A-ball levels. All in all, Kay has a 3.58 ERA, 9.1 K/9, and 2.46 K/BB rate over 256 1/3 innings in the minors.
Between his short track record and his issues at Triple-A, it wasn’t a resume that lent itself to a blue-chip (or even a top 100) prospect ranking, as Kay was only the fourth-ranked prospect in a middling Mets farm system. Some Toronto fans and pundits were critical of what seemed like a light return for Stroman prior to the trade deadline, though as events unfolded on July 31, it was clear that few teams around baseball were willing to surrender any sort of premium minor league talent.
Kay’s early returns in Buffalo have been promising, however, and what was already thought to be a near big-league ready arm will make his MLB debut perhaps even earlier than expected. MLB Pipeline’s scouting report gives Kay a pretty steady grade across the board (55 on the 20-80 scale for his fastball, changeup, and curve, plus a 50 for control) and cites the high spin rate on his fastball, which usually sits in the 92-94mph range. A good showing in September would surely put Kay in good position for a rotation job for the pitching-needy Blue Jays next spring.
Taylor was claimed off waivers from the Athletics in mid-August and appeared in just one Major League game for the Jays, bringing his career total to 17 big league contests over the last two seasons. Taylor has hit .258/.355/.372 over 2843 career plate appearances in the minors, all but 39 of them in Oakland’s system after being a fifth-round pick for the A’s in the 2011 draft.
Cubs To Promote Danny Hultzen, Designate Taylor Davis
Sept. 7: Hultzen’s contract has officially been selected. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, the Cubs have designated Taylor Davis for assignment.
Sept. 6: It has been a long and winding road for former first-round draft pick Danny Hultzen, but the path will finally pass through the majors. The Cubs southpaw has received his first MLB promotion, according to Brett Taylor of Bleacher Nation (via Twitter).
Hultzen, 29, was the second overall pick of the 2011 draft after excelling at the University of Virginia. He was seemingly breezing through the Mariners farm system when a spiraling series of injuries completely derailed his career.
It seemed like a longshot that Hultzen would be able to get back to functioning on the mound, let alone thriving. But he has opened eyes in 14 1/3 innings this year at Triple-A, allowing just two earned runs on a paltry four hits while racking up 23 strikeouts against nine walks.
Calling up Hultzen will require the Cubs to clear a place on the 40-man roster. The corresponding move isn’t yet known.
Rockies Outright Noel Cuevas; Promote Phillip Diehl, Joe Harvey
The Rockies announced a series of roster moves today as they prepare to finish out a disappointing campaign. Previously designated outfielder Noel Cuevas was outrighted to Triple-A after clearing waivers. And the club has recalled a pair of hurlers — lefty Phillip Diehl and righty Joe Harvey — to fill out the relief corps down the stretch.
Cuevas is a versatile outfielder but just hasn’t hit enough to hang onto a 40-man spot. He has put up solid numbers in the upper minors in the past, but produced at just under the league-average rate this year at the Triple-A level. Cuevas managed only a .233/.268/.315 batting line in a 153-plate appearance debut in the big leagues last year.
The two hurlers will be looking for a chance to show they deserve to hang onto their own MLB roster places over the course of the coming offseason. Diehl, 25, debuted briefly earlier this season. He owns a 5.22 ERA in 58 2/3 innings in the upper minors, with 9.8 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 but an unhealthy tally of 16 long balls. Likewise, the 27-year-old Harvey received his first shot at the majors this year — though his came with the Yankees, who later shipped him to Colorado in the quietest deal of deadline day. Harvey has been knocked around since joining the Rox’ top affiliate but will nevertheless get another look in the bigs.
Giants Claim Ricardo Pinto
The Giants have claimed righty Ricardo Pinto off waivers, per a club announcement. A roster spot was created by moving Trevor Gott to the 60-day injured list.
Pinto has been hit hard in each of his two, brief MLB stints but hasn’t yet received a full opportunity. In 123 1/3 innings this year in the upper minors, he carried a 4.23 ERA with 8.1 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.
One thing that isn’t in doubt is Pinto’s arm speed. He has shown upper-nineties heat whether leaning on a two-seam or four-seam fastball. Perhaps the Giants have some ideas for unlocking Pinto’s potential — much as they did with Gott.