Rangers Acquire Tim Federowicz, Place Isiah Kiner-Falefa On IL
The Rangers announced today that they’ve acquired catcher Tim Federowicz from the Indians. The return is not yet known. His contract has been selected to the MLB roster.
Fellow receiver Isiah Kiner-Falefa was placed on the 10-day injured list. He’s dealing with a sprained ligament in his right middle finger, which explains the acquisition of Federowicz. To open 40-man space, the Rangers shifted injured pitching prospect Taylor Hearn to the 60-day IL.
For the Rangers, this move obviously wasn’t about installing offense into the lineup. The team simply wanted a reliable reserve catcher.
Federowicz, 31, has seen action in parts of seven MLB seasons. Through 360 plate appearances at the game’s highest level, he carries a .199/.247/.323 slash. He had been playing at Triple-A Columbus to open the year, carrying a .278/.353/.411 batting line in 103 trips to the dish.
White Sox Claim Jimmy Cordero
The White Sox have claimed righty Jimmy Cordero off waivers from the Mariners, per club announcements. Southpaw Carlos Rodon was shifted to the 60-day IL to create 40-man space.
Cordero has now moved three times already this season. He started out with the Nationals, who had employed him for a few years after claiming him from the Phillies a few years back, before brief stints with the Blue Jays and M’s.
Though he didn’t manage to take advantage of a 22-appearance MLB showcase last year in D.C., Cordero has obviously shown enough to pique the interest of multiple organizations. He carries a 5.40 ERA in 16 2/3 Triple-A innings this season, with twenty strikeouts but also 13 walks.
Nationals Sign Dante Bichette Jr.
The Nationals have agreed to a minor-league deal with corner infielder Dante Bichette Jr., per an announcement from the High Point Rockers. Bichette had been playing with the indy ball outfit, which sold his contract to the D.C. organization.
The 26-year-old Bichette has a familiar name for baseball fans of a certain age. His namesake father was a well-known slugger with the Rockies. The family name is now more notable for another player: Bo Bichette, a top Blue Jays prospect who is Dante Jr.’s brother.
Back to the Bichette at issue here, he’ll earn a return to the affiliated ranks for the first time since the 2017 campaign. A former first-round draft pick and Yankees prospect, Bichette was cut loose after three-straight tepid showings at the Double-A level. He has performed better thus far in the Atlantic League in 2019, slashing .397/.424/.529 with three home runs in 145 plate appearances.
Yankees Activate Didi Gregorius
June 7: Gregorius has officially been reinstated from the injured list, per an announcement from the Yankees. Estrada has indeed been optioned to Triple-A, while Tulowitzki was transferred to the 60-day injured list to open a 40-man spot. Tulo has already been on the 10-day injured list for more than 60 days, so his transfer is nothing more than a formality.
June 6, 9:54pm: The Yankees have optioned Estrada to make room for Gregorius on their 25-man roster, Hoch was among those to tweet.
7:39pm: The Yankees are expected to reinstate shortstop Didi Gregorius from the injured list tomorrow, writes MLB.com’s Bryan Hoch. He’s sat out the entire season to this point as he recovers from last October’s Tommy John surgery. His activation will require a 40-man and 25-man roster move, as he’s currently on the 60-day injured list.
Gregorius has been well ahead of schedule on his rehab assignment. Original projections by the team specified merely that the Yankees hoped for a “summer” return, but he’s obviously on the very early end of even that broad range. Gregorius has already logged eight games of duty on a minor league rehab assignment, and while he’s batted only .156/.206/.250 through 34 plate appearances across a pair of minor league levels, the Yankees have clearly seen enough to feel confident in his ability to return.
The return of Gregorius will add a high-profile player to what has been somewhat of a patched-together infield. The Yankees’ offseason addition of DJ LeMahieu has proved to be a godsend, as he’s helped to cover the absences of not only Gregorius but Miguel Andujar and Troy Tulowitzki. With Gregorius back in the fold, he’ll see semi-regular action at shortstop, with Gleyber Torres splitting time at the two middle-infield spots and LeMahieu perhaps sliding over to third base. It’ll likely mean a decrease in playing time for the red-hot Gio Urshela, who has unexpectedly erupted with a .325/.371/.455 slash through 170 plate appearances (entering play today).
If there’s a member of the infield mix who appears particularly in jeopardy, it would appear to be Kendrys Morales, who hasn’t hit much since being acquired by the Yankees. Like the more productive Luke Voit, Morales is limited to first base when playing defense, thus limiting manager Aaron Boone’s infield flexibility. If Morales is pushed out by the return of Gregorius, that’d open up some additional at-bats for the mix of Voit, Gregorius, LeMahieu, Torres and Urshela as well. Alternatively, the Yankees could option Thairo Estrada back to Triple-A, keep Morales for the time being and move either Tulowitzki or Giancarlo Stanton from the 10-day injured list to the 60-day injured list. Both have already been on the IL for more than 60 days anyhow.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/7/19
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the game…
- First baseman/outfielder Jim Adduci cleared waivers after being designated for assignment by the Cubs and has been assigned outright to Triple-A Iowa, per the league’s transactions page. He’d have had the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency, but Tommy Birch of the Des Moines Register reports (via Twitter) that Adduci was indeed added to the Iowa roster, with Matt Carasiti landing on the temporarily inactive list in a corresponding move. The 34-year-old Adduci was hitless in five plate appearances during his extremely brief time with the Cubs before being designated for assignment to accommodate the addition of Carlos Gonzalez. He hit .261/.306/.478 through 41 games in Iowa earlier this season and .267/.290/.386 in 185 plate appearances for the Tigers in 2018.
Rays Release Erik Kratz
The Rays have released veteran catcher Erik Kratz following last week’s DFA, per the league transaction log over at MLB.com.
Kratz, 38, has appeared in a combined 21 games between the Giants and Rays in 2019 but managed just a .102/.170/.204 batting line through 53 trips to the plate. He logged a more respectable .236/.280/.355 output through 219 plate appearances in Milwaukee a year ago.
Kratz will have the opportunity to sign with any club he chooses now. He’s never been a strong hitter in the Majors but does have some pop in his bat. He’s also a strong option behind the dish in terms of controlling the running game (career 32 percent caught-stealing rate) and pitch framing, in addition to carrying a reputation as an outstanding clubhouse presence. The Rays themselves could be on the hunt for catching depth, as fellow backstop Nick Ciuffo was lost for upwards of 10 weeks (thumb surgery) just days after Kratz was designated for assignment. Others throughout the league figure to check in on the well-respected Kratz, too, as he searches for his next opportunity.
Charlie Blackmon Likely To Return Friday
The Rockies will activate outfielder Charlie Blackmon from the 10-day injured list Friday, Kyle Newman of the Denver Post suggests. Meanwhile, the Rockies lost left-handed reliever Mike Dunn to the 10-day IL on Thursday (retroactive to June 3) because of left AC joint inflammation and transferred fellow southpaw Harrison Musgrave to the 60-day IL, per a team announcement. Musgrave’s 40-man spot went to righty Peter Lambert, who shut down the Cubs in a 3-1 win in his major league debut.
Although Blackmon’s one of their most valuable players, the Rockies (32-29) ripped off 10 wins in 15 games as he sat out with a right calf strain. Colorado’s just half a game behind a wild-card spot thanks to that impressive run, and Blackmon’s return should help the team’s cause as it pushes for a third straight playoff berth. The 32-year-old Blackmon slashed .300/.356/.565 (126 wRC+) with 10 home runs in 219 plate appearances before landing on the shelf.
The IL placement for Dunn, 34, is the latest negative development in a long line of them since he joined the Rockies on an ill-fated contract going into the 2017 campaign. The injury’s all the more troubling given that Dunn missed most of last season with an AC joint issue that required surgery in September.
Now in the last season of his three-year, $19MM deal, Dunn has pitched to a 5.19 ERA/4.83 FIP in 17 1/3 innings. Overall as a Rockie, Dunn has thrown 84 2/3 frames and logged a 5.53 ERA/4.88 FIP with 8.82 K/9, 5.53 BB/9 and a 35 percent groundball rate.
Reds Agree To Over-Slot Deal With 3rd-Rounder Tyler Callihan
The Reds have agreed to an over-slot deal with third-rounder Tyler Callihan, the 85th selection in this year’s draft, per Jon Heyman of MLB Network. The high school infielder from Jacksonville will receive $1.5MM. That’s worth more than double the recommended value of Callihan’s pick ($710,700).
Callihan had committed to the University of South Carolina, but the soon-to-be 19-year-old’s agreement with the Reds takes him out of the Gamecocks’ plans. Meanwhile, the Reds may have gotten a steal in Callihan, whom MLB.com (No. 35) and Baseball America (No. 37) regard as one of the 40 best players in this year’s draft class. Both outlets agree the lefty-swinging Callihan possesses significant offensive upside, though his future defensive home is in question. While Callihan has garnered experience at catcher, his big league position could be in the infield.
At $9,528,600, the Reds entered the draft with the majors’ 13th-largest bonus pool. The Callihan agreement will leave them with just over $8MM to spend on their other picks – including TCU left-hander Nick Lodolo, whom they chose seventh overall.
John Curtiss Elects Free Agency
Right-hander John Curtiss has elected free agency in lieu of accepting an outright assignment from the Angels, as first reflected on the Pacific Coast League’s transactions log. Curtiss had been designated for assignment earlier in the week.
Curtiss, 26, will now be able to seek a new opportunity with any club seeking bullpen help. He once ranked among the more promising arms in the Twins’ system, but Minnesota cut him loose this offseason and flipped him to the Angels in exchange for minor league infielder Daniel Ozoria. He’s only tallied 17 1/3 innings in the big leagues and has yet to find much success (6.75 ERA), but Curtiss has a strong track record at the Triple-A level.
In 101 frames at the top minor league level, Curtiss has a 3.21 ERA and has averaged 11 strikeouts per nine innings pitched, though he’s also averaged 4.8 walks per nine frames. He’s struggled there this season, logging a 5.91 ERA and 29-to-13 K/BB ratio in 21 1/3 innings, but his ability to miss bats should hold appeal to another club in need of some bullpen help.
Indians Sign Mitch Talbot
The Indians have added right-hander Mitch Talbot on a minors deal. The Cleveland organization acquired his contract from the indy ball Sugar Land Skeeters and assigned him to Triple-A.
Talbot spent time with the Columbus Clippers last year after four seasons away from the affiliated ranks. He threw well in 17 starts and one relief appearance. Over 103 2/3 frames, Talbot ran up a 2.52 ERA with 5.6 K/9 and 1.9 BB/9.
With the Indians needing to backfill depth after losing another top starter in Carlos Carrasco, it’s not surprising to see them turn to the former second-round pick. Talbot, 35, is well known to the Indians from his first run with the organization back in 2010-11, during which he made forty starts. He owns a lifetime 5.30 ERA with 5.0 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 232 2/3 total MLB innings.