Cubs DFA Zagunis, Option Bote, Reinstate Zobrist
Cubs utilityman Ben Zobrist has been reinstated from the restricted list and added to the 25-man and 40-man rosters, according to a tweet from Sahadev Sharma of The Athletic (link). To make room on the active 25-man roster, fellow multipurpose player David Bote has been optioned to Triple-A Iowa; outfielder Mark Zagunis has been designated for assignment to clear a space for Zobrist on the 40-man. A similar report from MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian has since been retweeted by the club itself, essentially comprising what passes for an official announcement in 2019.
Though Zobrist and Bote are certainly the most famous names involved in this transaction, the DFA of Zagunis is certainly noteworthy, as the longtime Cubs farmhand offers lots of control and a relatively accomplished minor league track record. The 26-year-old has only received 55 at-bats in the bigs since debuting in 2017, but his minor league numbers tell of a patient hitter with consistently average-or-better league-adjusted production. With Triple-A Iowa this year, Zagunis has managed a .294/.361/.475 slash in his fourth go-around at the highest level of the minors; last year, his .272/.395/.375 output in 453 Iowa ABs was even better by virtue of weighted measures (111 wRC+). It will be interesting to see if a non-contender takes a flier on him in the hopes that he proves to be a big-league late bloomer.
Zobrist has been out of action since May as he deals with the ongoing ramifications of a divorce. He wasn’t off to a particularly hot start in 2019, as his .241/.343/.253 slash was far less than fans have come to expect of the multitalented greybeard. At 38-years-old, Zobrist is playing in the last year of a four-year/$56MM deal signed with Chicago prior to 2016.
This is the second time Bote has been optioned this month. Despite a .262/.359/.435 (106 wRC+) profile this year, the 26-year-old has been nonetheless wearing one for the team in recent weeks, as the activation of Steve Cishek saw him down to Triple-A Iowa on Aug. 19, only to be recalled on Aug. 25 when Anthony Rizzo started ailing. With this option, the big league sophomore will need to remain in Triple-A for a minimum of ten days.
Cam Bedrosian To Injured List With Forearm Strain
The Angels have announced that reliever Cam Bedrosian has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right forearm strain. Bedrosian’s IL placement will be retroactive to Aug. 29. Righty Jose Rodriguez has been called up from Triple-A Salt Lake in a concurrent move.
This is certainly concerning news for Angels brass considering Bedrosian’s intimate relationship with injury–the 27-year-old pitcher had Tommy John surgery while in the minor leagues and saw his 2016 season end early with surgery to repair a blood clot in his arm.
Fortunately, Bedrosian indicated to Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register that this forearm strain does not feel similar to the one he experienced prior to his TJ surgery; Bedrosian also told Fletcher that he only expects to be shut down for about a week (link).
2019 had been a solid effort to date for the son of former big leaguer Steve Bedrosian. Across 61.1 innings, the righty has managed a 3.23 ERA supported by a healthy 9.39 K/9 mark and 3.23 BB/9 mark. Those numbers aren’t far off the career numbers he’s compiled over 263.0 frames since debuting in 2014 (3.76 ERA, 9.55 K/9, and 3.76 BB/9 career marks). Bedrosian is making $1.75MM this year in his second turn through arbitration.
Rodriguez, a 23-year-old rookie from Venezuela, will be making his third trip on the Anaheim taxi squad. In 5.2 Angel innings this year, Rodriguez has logged a 4.76 ERA–which actually represents far better results than he’s managed in Triple-A. In 61.2 PCL innings split between the bullpen and rotation, the righty has been tattooed to the tune of a 6.57 ERA and 5.38 FIP.
Red Sox Sign Jhoulys Chacin To Minor-League Deal
The Red Sox have signed free-agent right-hander Jhoulys Chacin to a minor-league deal, according to Chris Cotillo of MassLive.com. Many expected Chacin to sign on with the Red Sox, who expressed interest in the ex-Brewer after he threw a bullpen session in front of Red Sox brass.
Chacin hit the open market on Monday after he was released by the Brewers, the team for which he took the mound on Opening Day this season. Evidently, Milwaukee’s opinion of the 31-year-old soured after he mustered only a 5.79 ERA in 88 2/3 innings for the Brew Crew. It’s been a swift fall from grace for Chacin, who just last season pitched nearly 200 innings of 3.50 ERA baseball en route to a game 7 start in Milwaukee. However, David Stearns and company prefer other in-house options, to the point that the club was willing to eat the $6MM remaining on Chacin’s deal.
It shouldn’t be long before Chacin is given a chance to pitch out of the Boston rotation, which has seemingly been in a constant state of turmoil this season. With Chris Sale unlikely to pitch again this year and rotation stalwarts David Price and Rick Porcello failing to meet expectations—to say nothing of Nathan Eovaldi‘s underperformance and the flubbed acquisition of Andrew Cashner—the Red Sox are exhausting every last option in hopes that something will stick as the club hopes for a last-minute turnaround. As a last resort, taking a late-season chance on Chacin—who is just a year removed from a career year and whose injuries this year may in part be attributed to injuries—can’t hurt and has some potential for a nice payoff.
Pirates Claim Wei-Chung Wang
The Pirates have claimed left-handed pitcher Wei-Chung Wang off waivers from the Athletics, according to an official Athletics announcement. Wang was designated for assignment on Friday. It’ll be something of a reunion for the 27-year-old, who joins the same Pirates organization that signed him as a free agent in 2011 to make his professional debut.
Pitching in the Majors for the first time since 2017, Wang’s performance in Oakland was fine, at least on the surface. He’s sporting a nice 3.33 ERA through 27 innings of work, though in that stretched he has mustered a meager 16:11 K:BB ratio. For that reason, along with other peripheral indicators that suggest Wang is unlikely to maintain his current level, Oakland felt more confident in its other lefty options, a deep group that includes new arrivals Jake Diekman and A.J. Puk.
If Wang gets a chance in the Pittsburgh bullpen, he’ll join fellow southpaws Francisco Liriano and Felipe Vazquez. On the whole, the Pirates’ bullpen has been a strong unit, though it’s a bit of a top-heavy one. There should be an opportunity for Wang to sneak into a role as a low-leverage option for the Bucs and audition for a heightened role.
Wang is in his last option season, meaning that his Pirates tenure could very well be a short one. If he wants to continue his Pittsburgh career beyond this year, he’ll need to crack the 2020 Opening Day roster, otherwise he’ll be subjected to waivers out of spring training.
Brewers Place Keston Hiura On IL, Recall Travis Shaw, Ben Gamel
As expected, Brewers rookie Keston Hiura has landed on the injured list with a strained left hamstring, per a team announcement. Hiura pulled up lame while running out a groundout in a costly loss to the Cubs on Friday. It is a grade 2 strain, per The Athletic’s Robert Murray, which will keep Hiura out a minimum of two weeks and certainly puts the rest of his inaugural season in jeopardy.
In corresponding roster moves, Ben Gamel and Travis Shaw are on their way back from Triple-A. Both Gamel and Shaw played major roles for the Brewers this season, though their contributions have been relatively punchless. Gamel’s been the better of the two with a .243/.330/.376 line while providing capable defense across all three outfield positions and popping a couple big home runs.
Shaw’s season has been an unmitigated disaster. He’s run out a .162/.276/.279 line across 229 plate appearances – a frankly shocking output for a career .255/.333/.475 hitter. After back-to-back big year’s for the Brewers (3.5 fWAR in 2017, 3.6 fWAR in 2018), Shaw detracted from Milwaukee’s playoff hopes with -1.0 fWAR before being supplanted in the everyday lineup by Hiura.
On the bright side, he’s gotten his game back on track in San Antonio by hitting .286/.437/.586 with 12 home runs in 42 games. The Brewers will need Shaw to bring the good vibes to Milwaukee to keep the Brew Crew’s thinning playoff hopes alive.
To make room for Shaw, right-hander Devin Williams was optioned to Triple-A San Antonio. Williams, 24, has a 4.00 ERA across a small sample 9 innings, though it’s been a bit of a breakout year for Williams in the minor leagues. Across Double-A and Triple-A, Williams pitched to a 2.21 ERA with 12.9 K/9 in 34 outings.
Yankees Place CC Sabathia On 10-Day Injured List
The Yankees placed lefty CC Sabathia on the 10-day injured list for the fourth time this season, the team announced. Jonathan Loaisiga has been recalled from Triple-A.
This news hardly comes as a surprise after Sabathia exited Friday’s start after three innings. Right knee inflammation is the diagnosis, but it’s certainly worth wondering if Sabathia will be healthy enough to pitch again, in this the final season of an epic career.
The 39-year-old Sabathia finally showed signs of slowing down this season as he’s struggled to stay healthy and productive. At 5-8 with a 4.93 ERA/5.97 FIP across 20 starts and 100 1/3 innings for the Yanks this year, he’s posted just 0.5 rWAR and 0.3 fWAR on the year.
Loaisiga, 24, has 3 starts and 3 relief appearances under his belt so far this year. A lackluster 5.12 ERA/5.50 FIP can be traced to 4.7 BB/9 and 1.9 HR/9 in the small sample. He hasn’t done much more in Triple-A in an injury-shortened season, though believers can point to 11.2 K/9 to 2.5 BB/9 in Scranton Wilkes-Barre as a sign of returning to form.
Braves Acquire Caleb Thielbar
The Braves have acquired lefty Caleb Thielbar from the Tigers, per an announcement from the Detroit organization. Cash considerations are going back in return.
Thielbar, 32, is several years removed from his last appearance in the big leagues. After wrapping up his time with the Twins, he spent two years in indy ball and then joined the Tigers before the 2018 campaign.
Since the start of the 2018 campaign, Thielbar has been a fixture in the Tigers’ upper-minors relief corps. He has been effective in fifty games this year, pitching to a 3.30 ERA with 10.8 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9 over 76 1/3 frames.
Since he is not playing on a MLB contract, Thielbar was eligible to be traded after July 31st. He’ll potentially be eligible for the postseason roster if the Braves decide to add him to their 40-man roster before tomorrow evening (or if they add him thereafter to replace an injured player). Odds are, the primary objective is to add some organizational depth and protect against any unforeseen problems that may arise.
Indians Activate & Option Bradley Zimmer, Designate Jordan Stephens
The Indians announced that outfielder Bradley Zimmer has been activated from the 60-day injured list. He was optioned down to Triple-A, where had been playing on a rehab assignment.
To create a 40-man roster opening, the Cleveland organization designated righty Jordan Stephens for assignment. He’ll have to be exposed to waivers since trades are not permissible at this stage of the season.
A former top prospect, the 26-year-old Zimmer has missed the entire season owing to shoulder surgery. He’s also looking to bounce back from a brutal 2018 season at the plate. The athletic outfielder stumbled to a .226/.281/.330 slash in 114 MLB plate appearances in what turned out to be a lost campaign.
It’s far too early to draw any conclusions, but it’s promising to see Zimmer hitting well in his initial action in the upper minors. He has a .333/.412/.600 batting line with a pair of long balls in a dozen rehab contests. Whether that’ll carry over to the bigs — and when he’ll get a chance to test himself — remains to be seen.
As for Stephens, who’s nearing his 27th birthday, there have been some ups and downs this year. He was bludgeoned at Triple-A to open the year and ended up being claimed by the Indians from the White Sox. After a bounceback stretch at the Double-A level, Stephens again ran into the International League buzzsaw. All told, he has allowed 17 home runs and 66 earned runs in just 66 1/3 innings at the highest level of the minors this season.
Phillies Release Nick Hundley
The Phillies’ top affiliate announced today that catcher Nick Hundley has been given his release. He had joined the club on a minors deal after being cut loose earlier this year by the Athletics.
Hundley is closing in on his 36th birthday. A veteran of a dozen MLB campaigns, he’s a highly respected signal-caller and clubhouse member. He had signed on with the A’s on a minors deal but made the club out of camp.
Unfortunately, Hundley was not able to keep pace offensively in Oakland. Over 73 plate appearances in the majors, he scratched out a .200/.233/.357 batting line with just two walks and two homers. The struggles have continued at Lehigh Valley, where he struck out 17 times in just 36 trips to the plate.
The timing of the move will allow Hundley to catch on with another organization while retaining his postseason eligibility — if he inks a new deal tomorrow, before the end of the month. While it’s hard to imagine a contender planning for a playoff roster that includes Hundley, he’d be a useful insurance policy given his extensive experience.
Rays Select Contract Of Ricardo Pinto
The Rays have selected the contract of righty Ricardo Pinto, as MLB.com’s Juan Toribio was among those to tweet. Righty Jose De Leon was optioned. To create 40-man space, infielder Yandy Diaz was placed on the 60-day injured list.
Pinto, 25, will get his second crack at the big leagues after previously appearing with the Phillies back in 2017. His 25-appearance debut didn’t go well, as he was tagged for 26 earned runs in 29 2/3 innings.
Since joining the Rays organization over the offseason, Pinto has worked as a bulk guy. He has spent most of the year at Triple-A, where he carries a 4.13 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.0 BB/9 over 104 2/3 innings. It remains to be seen how extensively the Rays will utilize Pinto. He could hold a job for the month of September or be designated in a few days if the club has other ideas for his roster spot.