Royals Designate Brian Flynn
The Royals announced today that they have designated southpaw Brian Flynn for assignment. His roster spot was needed for a variety of other pitching moves.
Also departing the active roster is righty Jake Newberry, who was optioned. The Kansas City org has activated starter Jakob Junis and recalled southpaw Richard Lovelady.
Flynn, 29, has appeared at the major-league level with the Royals in each of the past four seasons. He was a multi-inning mainstay in the pen last year but has scuffled in 2019. Through 29 1/3 innings over ten relief appearances and one start, Flynn carries a 5.22 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 5.2 BB/9.
Cubs Acquire Derek Holland, Designate Tim Collins
The Cubs announced today that they have acquired lefty Derek Holland from the Giants. To create roster space, fellow southpaw Tim Collins was designated for assignment.
Holland had recently been designated himself by the San Francisco organization. He was playing on a deal that promises him $6.5MM this year and a $500K buyout on a $7MM club option (which also includes some escalators). Today’s trade, humorously, involves “a cash consideration” heading in both directions. Precisely how the sides have sorted the financials isn’t yet clear, but it seems fair to presume that the Cubs will pick up a small portion of the two-and-a-half million or so remaining on the tab.
The Chicago organization continues to cycle through lefty relievers. When Collins signed his modest, $850K deal, the club dropped Brian Duensing from its 40-man despite a $3.5MM salary. Now, the team will give Holland a look in a relief capacity.
It’s not surprising to see Holland land on his feet despite his struggles this year. The 32-year-old washed out of the San Francisco rotation after seven starts, as he failed to follow up a quality 2018 season. His ability to throw multiple innings as a long man or starter is still of appeal, particularly for a Cubs team that recently parted with Mike Montgomery.
The real appeal here, though, is the possibility of using Holland as a situational reliever. While his overall results were hardly exceptional — 5.03 ERA in 34 innings with 29 strikeouts and 15 walks — Holland has shown a velocity boost in the bullpen. Better still, he’s pummeling opposing left-handed batters, who carry a meager .182/.276/.195 batting line in 89 trips to the plate against him this season. Holland has not only induced lots of poor contact, but has drawn grounders from southpaw hitters on more than three of every four balls they put in play.
As for Collins, the 29-year-old hasn’t been tasked with much of a workload in the majors. His swinging-strike rate has dropped from a promising 11.6% rate last year to just 7.5% in his nine appearances in 2019. He has spent most of the year pitching at Triple-A, where he carries a 4.67 ERA with 12.3 K/9 against 5.3 BB/9 with seven long balls marring his stat line.
Twins Acquire Jeremy Bleich
The Twins have acquired left-hander Jeremy Bleich from the Red Sox in exchange for cash considerations, as tweeted by Nate Rowan, the director of communications for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in Rochester. Bleich will be assigned to Rochester.
Bleich signed a minors deal with Boston in April, and has posted an 0.71 ERA in 12 2/3 innings at low-A ball along with a 5.59 ERA over 19 1/3 frames for Triple-A Pawtucket. These represent the latest stops in an 11-year pro career for Bleich, who was originally selected 44th overall by the Yankees in the 2008 draft. Minnesota will be the seventh different organization Bleich has called home, and his long resume includes a cup of coffee in the majors, appearing in two games (and pitching a total of one-third of an inning) for the Athletics just last season.
The 32-year-old Bleich has a 3.87 ERA, 7.3 K/9, and 2.08 K/BB rate over 641 1/3 career innings in the minors. He has started 72 of his 271 career games, though the lefty has worked largely out of the bullpen for the last five years.
Dodgers Option Austin Barnes To Triple-A, Will D. Smith To Be Recalled
The Dodgers have optioned catcher Austin Barnes to Triple-A, as originally reported by MLB.com’s official transactions page. Will D. Smith will be called up to take Barnes’ roster spot prior to Friday’s game, according to Jorge Castillo of the L.A. Times.
After a big performance down the stretch in 2017 that included usurping Yasmani Grandal‘s at-bats in the postseason, it seemed like Barnes was on his way to becoming the Dodgers’ catcher of the future. That progress was stalled after Barnes had only a .619 OPS in 238 PA in 2018, and he has continued to struggle this year, hitting .196/.288/.328 through 233 plate appearances.
With veteran Russell Martin also not hitting well, Los Angeles hasn’t received much offense from the catcher’s spot this year — that is, apart from Smith’s first two brief stints on the Dodgers’ roster. Smith’s first exposure to Major League pitching saw him hit .269/.345/.654 with three homers in only 29 PA over nine games. As we saw with Barnes himself in 2017, the Dodgers aren’t afraid to turn to a young player late in the season, and if Smith continues to hit, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he earns himself regular catching duty come October.
Picked 32nd overall in the 2016 draft, Smith was a top-100 prospect in the eyes of both Baseball Prospectus (59th) and Baseball America (95th) prior to the 2019 season. He is already thought to have solid defense, and Smith has also hit .232/.334/.497 with 21 homers over 366 Triple-A plate appearances.
Catcher is an interesting long-term position for the Dodgers, as both Smith and top prospect Keibert Ruiz would seem to be the club’s top choices for the future, though L.A. also did its due diligence in exploring J.T. Realmuto‘s availability before the All-Star was traded to the Phillies last offseason. Smith and Ruiz are undoubtedly popular targets for teams looking to make deals with the Dodgers, yet given that Barnes may be falling out of favor, it may behoove the Dodgers to see exactly what they have in both Smith or Ruiz before deciding on who will be their catcher of the future.
Rangers Acquire Shane Carle, Designate Kyle Dowdy
The Rangers have acquired right-hander Shane Carle from the Braves for cash considerations, per an announcement from John Blake, Texas’ executive vice president of communications. Carle has been optioned to Triple-A Nashville. To make room for Carle, the Rangers activated righty Kyle Dowdy from the 10-day IL and designated him for assignment.
Carle was DFA’ed by the Braves yesterday after posting a 9.64 ERA over just 9 1/3 innings of work this season. Carle emerged as a workhorse with a 63-inning performance out of Atlanta’s bullpen in 2018, though his performance began to fade even down the stretch last year, despite an overall 2.86 ERA. While strikeouts have never been a huge aspect of Carle’s game, he has missed more bats than usual at Triple-A Gwinnett this season, with an 8.4 K/9 rate over 33 1/3 frames. Those extra K’s haven’t helped Carle avoid a 5.13 ERA for Gwinnett, however.
A change of scenery could be just what Carle needs, as he does boast some very good velocity (94.7 mph average fastball over his 76 1/3 IP in the big leagues) and a 4.14 ERA over 562 2/3 innings in the minors. He’s a fairly low-cost acquisition for Texas, and an arm that could provide more immediate MLB upside than Dowdy.
Originally a member of the Indians’ farm system, Dowdy was selected by the Mets in the Rule 5 Draft and then claimed off waivers by the Rangers during Spring Training. Dowdy had a 7.25 ERA over his first 22 1/3 innings in the majors before going on the injured list in early June with an elbow impingement. If Dowdy clears DFA waivers, the Rangers will have to offer him back to Cleveland.
Diamondbacks To Call Up Yasmany Tomas
The Diamondbacks will call up outfielder Yasmany Tomas prior to Friday’s game against the Marlins, the Pelota Cubana blog reports (Twitter link). Adjustments will have to be made to Arizona’s 25-man and 40-man roster, as Tomas was outrighted off the 40-man in April 2018.
This will mark Tomas’ first Major League action since 2017, as the 28-year-old spent all of last season at Triple-A Reno. Signed to a six-year, $68.5MM contract prior to the 2015 season, Tomas hasn’t at all lived up to the buzz that made him one of the most highly-touted players to come out of Cuba in recent years. Tomas hit .268/.307/.462 with 48 home runs over 1169 plate appearances for the D’Backs from 2015-17, with the bulk of that production coming during a 31-homer campaign in 2016 that seemed like a breakout.
Instead, Tomas regressed in 2017, and seemed to fall out of favor once Mike Hazen took over as Arizona’s general manager. Since that outright assignment, Tomas has seemed to rediscover some his stroke at the plate, particularly with his .944 OPS in 413 Triple-A plate appearances this season.
Tomas has also spent the bulk of his time this year at first base, which theoretically would be his likeliest role with the D’Backs. Since Paul Goldschmidt was locked into first base during Tomas’ initial stint with the team, Tomas struggled badly on defense while playing third base and in the corner outfield. The D’Backs already have the right-handed hitting Christian Walker at first base this season, though while Walker has generally hit well, he has hit enough of a slump over the last month that Arizona might feel it worthy to give Tomas a shot at re-establishing himself. Tomas could still see some playing time in the outfield, particularly if Adam Jones or David Peralta is dealt before the trade deadline.
The D’Backs still owe Tomas roughly $23.2MM through the end of the 2020 season, so there’s little harm in seeing if Tomas’ Triple-A numbers are for real and if some value can still be salvaged from the contract. With the Snakes also still in the NL wild card hunt, Tomas could be an in-house (if unlikely) hitting upgrade that can help the club immediately, and potentially keep them from looking for a bat elsewhere before the deadline.
Twins Activate Byron Buxton From Injured List
The Twins announced that center fielder Byron Buxton has been activated from the seven-day concussion injured list. Buxton and Triple-A callup Sean Poppen are active for tonight’s game against the White Sox, with outfielder Jake Cave and southpaw Devin Smeltzer optioned to Triple-A in corresponding 25-man roster moves.
After making a diving catch on July 13, Buxton experienced some concussion symptoms that led the Twins to sideline the center fielder. It was the second brief IL stint of the year for Buxton, who also missed some time in June due to a right wrist contusion.
While Buxton has yet to live up to the enormous hype that followed his selection as the second overall pick in the 2012 draft, the 25-year-old has at the very least put his troubled 2018 season behind him with a very strong showing this year. Buxton has hit .249/.308/.490 with nine homers over 268 PA, putting him on-pace for his first above-average (104 wRC+) offensive performance in his young career. Beyond the promise shown by improvements in his hard-contact and walk rates, Buxton continues to be a huge plus away from the plate, as he has already become one of the game’s best defensive center fielders.
Brewers To Call Up Travis Shaw
The Brewers will call infielder Travis Shaw up from Triple-A prior to tomorrow’s game, The Athletic’s Robert Murray and Ken Rosenthal report (Twitter link). Shaw will take the 25-man roster spot left open by Jhoulys Chacin‘s placement on the 10-day injured list.
Shaw was demoted on June 27, but has since shredded Triple-A pitching to the tune of a .316/.494/.754 slash line and eight home runs over only 77 plate appearances. While the Pacific Coast League is notoriously hitter-friendly, Shaw’s breakout provides some hope that he has gotten on track after a dreadful beginning to the 2019 season. Shaw hit just .164/.278/.290 with six homers over 212 PA for the Brewers, though his performance could have been hampered by a wrist injury that cost him roughly three weeks on the injured list.
While Shaw may be back in the majors, it doesn’t seem like he’ll be back in an everyday role. The Brewers are likely to stick with Keston Hiura at second base as long as the prized rookie’s bat stays hot, and Shaw obviously isn’t supplanting Mike Moustakas at third. This could leave first base as Shaw’s best option for playing time, though Eric Thames (another left-handed bat) is hitting well in part-time duty alongside struggling right-handed hitter Jesus Aguilar.
Milwaukee could also simply use Shaw in several places around the diamond, seeing time at first, second, and third base spelling the regulars or being a late-game replacement. With the trade deadline also looming on July 31, the Brewers could also be looking to shop Shaw (or Thames or Aguilar) to any interested parties, as pitching seems like a much bigger need for the Brew Crew than infield depth.
Yankees Place Brett Gardner On 10-Day Injured List
The Yankees have placed outfielder Brett Gardner on the 10-day IL due to left knee inflammation, as per a team press release. Gardner’s placement is retroactive to July 22. Left-hander Stephen Tarpley will take Gardner’s spot on New York’s 25-man roster.
One of the only Yankees who hadn’t yet missed time due to injury this season, today’s placement marks the durable Gardner’s first trip to the injured list since 2012. The longtime pinstripes fixture has bounced back from a down year in 2018 to become one of New York’s more underrated performers, hitting .243/.325/.460 over 354 plate appearances. That slugging percentage represents by far a new personal best for Gardner over his 12 MLB seasons, and with 15 homers already, he seems like a safe bet to eclipse his career high of 21 home runs in a season.
Mike Tauchman looks to get the bulk of left field duty while Gardner is out, and Cameron Maybin is also nearing his own activation from the injured list. Prospect Clint Frazier also looms at Triple-A, though Frazier has also often been mentioned in trade rumors and could be on the move prior to the deadline.
Athletics Designate Nick Hundley For Assignment
The A’s have designated Nick Hundley for assignment after activating the catcher from the injured list, according to a team media release.
Hundley managed only a .200/.233/.357 slash line over 73 plate appearances for Oakland before going on the IL with back spasms back on June 8. That seemingly minor IL stint led to a much lengthier absence as Hundley underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee ten days later, and the veteran backstop hasn’t since been back on the field. This made Hundley the odd man out of an Oakland catching picture that consists of Chris Herrmann, Josh Phegley, and (at Triple-A) Beau Taylor.
With the experience of 12 MLB seasons on offer, Hundley is likely to find work with another team in need of catching depth, if he doesn’t end up remaining in Oakland’s system after an outright assignment. He signed a minor league contract with the Athletics over the winter following two years serving as Buster Posey‘s backup with the San Francisco Giants, with Hundley seeing more playing time than expected given Posey’s injury problems. Over his career, Hundley has hit decently well for a catcher (.247/.299/.405 over 3373 PA), though his framing and caught-stealing numbers have recently been on the decline.