Nationals To Select Kyle McGowin
The Nationals will select the contract of right-hander Kyle McGowin, Chelsea Janes of the Washington Post reports on Twitter. He’s expected to land on the MLB roster tomorrow.
McGowin, 26, came over in the late-2016 swap that sent Danny Espinosa to the Angels. Things weren’t looking very promising for McGowin after the 2017 campaign, as he allowed more than six earned runs per nine in the upper minors.
The 2018 season, however, has been a bit of a breakout effort. In 136 2/3 innings over 22 starts, all but two of them in the upper minors, he’s carrying a 2.90 ERA with 9.7 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9.
While McGowin was bypassed in the Rule 5 draft last year, that might not have been the case this coming winter. The Nats will presumably plan to carry him on the 40-man throughout the winter, so this represents an opportunity to get him some MLB experience while making a roster move that would have been necessary regardless.
It seems likely he’ll be joined in the majors at some point by Austin Adams, the other hurler who headed to D.C. in the Espinosa deal. Adams, a reliever, has already briefly reached the majors in each of the past two seasons. He turned in an interesting effort this year at Syracuse, posting a 3.50 ERA with a hefty 15.2 K/9 against 3.9 BB/9.
Twins Select Gregorio Petit
The Twins announced that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Gregorio Petit. In a corresponding move, the club transferred injured first baseman Logan Morrison to the 60-day disabled list.
Petit, 33, didn’t put up great numbers this season in Rochester, where he hit .268/.313/.327 with one home run over 312 PAs. He was somewhat more productive n a limited Twins stint earlier this year, with a .308/.400/.308 showing in 30 trips to the plate.
Over parts of six seasons in the majors, Petit carries a .253/.298/.350 slash in 456 plate appearances. His chief appeal lies in his defensive versatility. In that limited MLB action, Petit has appeared everywhere on the field except for behind the dish, on the mound, and in center field while spending most of his time as a middle-infielder.
Rangers Outright Drew Hutchison
The Rangers have outrighted right-hander Drew Hutchison, per a club announcement. He has already cleared waivers and been assigned to Triple-A.
Having created two 40-man roster openings, the Rangers will purchase the contracts of righty Adrian Sampson and lefty C.D. Pelham. Also coming onto the active MLB roster are right-hander Austin Bibens-Dirkx, outfielder Willie Calhoun, and infielder Hanser Alberto.
Hutchison, 28, was signed onto the MLB roster recently as the Rangers sought to fill some innings. Unfortunately, he was unable to take advantage of the opportunity, surrendering 21 earned runs with an ugly 12:13 K/BB ratio in 21 1/3 innings over five starts.
Despite generally excellent minor-league numbers, Hutchison has never really found success in the majors. In parts of five seasons in the bigs, he has thrown 460 1/3 total frames of 5.10 ERA ball.
Diamondbacks To Promote Yoan Lopez
3:17pm: Arizona has announced Lopez’s promotion, and it made room for him by transferring third baseman Jake Lamb to the 60-day disabled list. Lamb underwent season-ending left shoulder surgery last month.
1:37pm: The Diamondbacks will promote right-hander Yoan Lopez from Double-A Jackson, Nick Piecoro of the Arizona Republic reports. Lopez is not on the D-backs’ 40-man roster, which is currently full, so they’ll need to make a corresponding move.
Lopez, a holdover from the Diamondbacks’ ill-fated Dave Stewart/Tony La Russa/De Jon Watson regime, is finally coming to the majors three years after the team signed him out of Cuba. Arizona gave Lopez a whopping $8.27MM bonus, and in doing so, it paid a 100 percent overage tax and limited itself in future international markets. As a result of the Lopez signing, the Diamondbacks were barred from adding any international prospect for more than $300K over the next two signing periods. The club happened to have the majors’ largest bonus pool in 2015-16, making the Lopez-caused limitations all the more costly.
Of course, had Lopez developed into the front-line starter the Diamondbacks thought they were getting, there would be little to no criticism of the signing. Lopez’s tenure with the organization has been rocky at times, however, and he initially had such a difficult time adjusting to his new surroundings that he considered giving up baseball. However, Lopez – now 25 years old – persevered and may have put himself in position to make an impact with the D-backs. While he’s no longer a starter, the hard-throwing Lopez impressed as a Double-A reliever this season, recording a 2.92 ERA/2.85 FIP with 12.7 K/9 against 3.79 BB/9 in 61 2/3 innings.
Rays To Promote Nick Ciuffo, Reinstate Mallex Smith
3:09pm: Tampa Bay has placed catcher Adam Moore on the restricted list because of “improper documentation” with his passport, freeing up a 40-man spot, Topkin tweets. The Rays are in Canada through Wednesday for a series against the Blue Jays.
12:08pm: The Rays have promoted catcher Nick Ciuffo from Triple-A Durham and reinstated outfielder Mallex Smith from the 10-day disabled list, Marc Topkin of The Tampa Bay Times reports (Twitter links). The team will need to make a corresponding 40-man move to create room for Ciuffo.
A Ray since they used the 21st overall pick on him in 2013, Ciuffo currently ranks as their 25th-best prospect at MLB.com, which is especially complimentary of his defense. The 23-year-old’s so good behind the plate that he won’t need to hit much in order to become at least a major league backup, according to MLB.com. Ciuffo posted slightly below-average offensive numbers this year at Durham, where he hit .262/.301/.380 (90 wRC+) with five home runs in 236 plate appearances.
While Ciuffo looks promising on the field, he does come with some negative off-field history. Ciuffo has tested positive for a drug of abuse on two occasions, including last offseason. The latest occurrence led to a 50-game suspension which kept Ciuffo out of action for the first several weeks of the campaign. Now, Ciuffo may be in position to vie for a spot on next year’s Rays roster, given that their other options don’t inspire a ton of confidence.
Smith, barring a trade, has already clinched a prominent spot on the 2019 Rays. The 25-year-old had been dealing with a viral infection, one that required a short stay in a Tampa Bay hospital, but has otherwise enjoyed an excellent season. Smith has slashed .307/.377/.433 (126 wRC+) with 27 stolen bases and 3.1 fWAR over a career-high 426 PAs.
Athletics Acquire Aaron Brooks, Designate Danny Coulombe
The Athletics have acquired right-hander Aaron Brooks from the Brewers for cash considerations, Robert Murray of The Athletic tweets. In a corresponding move, the A’s designated left-hander Danny Coulombe, per a team announcement.
This deal continues a busy few days for Brooks, whom the Brewers selected from the minors Aug. 30 and then designated the next day. The 28-year-old didn’t throw a pitch for the Brewers, and he hasn’t taken a major league mound since 2015 – part of which he spent with the Athletics. Brooks tossed 51 innings of 6.71 ERA ball with Oakland that year after it acquired him (and Sean Manaea) from the Royals in a trade for Ben Zobrist.
More recently, Brooks did solid work with the Brewers’ Triple-A affiliate in 2018. Despite having to pitch in hitter-friendly Colorado Springs, Brooks managed a 3.35 ERA/4.14 FIP with 6.7 K/9, 2.54 BB/9 and a 55.1 percent groundball rate over 99 1/3 innings (26 appearances, 15 starts).
Coulombe, who has been with the Athletics since they acquired him from the Dodgers in 2015, has been fairly effective in the majors. Over 143 1/3 career innings, including 139 with the A’s, Coulombe has held same-handed hitters to a .234/.304/.327 batting line and pitched to a 4.27 ERA/4.09 FIP, also notching 8.41 K/9, 3.83 BB/9 and an excellent 56.8 percent groundball rate. But major league lefties have teed off on Coulombe this season, as the the 28-year-old has yielded a .317/.364/.512 line in 23 2/3 frames. Coulombe has also registered a subpar 4.56 ERA/5.10 FIP and a 4.18 BB/9, though he has averaged nearly 10 strikeouts per nine and recorded a 51.7 percent grounder rate.
White Sox Will Not Promote Eloy Jimenez; Will Select Jose Ruiz
The White Sox will not promote their top prospect, outfielder Eloy Jimenez, to the majors this season, general manager Rick Hahn confirmed Monday. Meanwhile, they will select young right-hander Jose Ruiz from Double-A Birmingham, Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times tweets. Adding Ruiz will require a corresponding 40-man move, as Chicago’s currently at capacity.
The fact that Jimenez won’t come up this year is no surprise, as Bob Nightengale of USA Today reported over the weekend that the Triple-A star would not debut in the majors until 2019. Indeed, Hahn said (via Van Schouwen) that Jimenez is “very well positioned to make a significant impact at the big league level” next season. For now, “it’s in everyone’s best interest” for the team to hold off on promoting Jimenez, Hahn added.
“We’re not trying to develop a 21-year-old DH,” continued Hahn, suggesting Jimenez still has to improve his defense (via James Fegan of The Athletic).
That may be true, but it won’t win over Jimenez’s agents, who discussed their client with Jon Heyman of Fancred last week.
“How can you say with a straight face this guy needs to work on anything?” asked one of his representatives, Paul Kinzer. “What’s he need to work on?”
Meanwhile, fellow Jimenez rep Nelson Montes De Oca suggested service time is the driving force behind Chicago’s decision not to promote him this year. Keeping Jimenez out of the majors until the third week of 2019 campaign will enable the White Sox to control him for an extra year, after all, and it’s clear he has done more than enough offensively to earn a call-up. Since moving from Birmingham to Triple-A Charlotte in June, Jimenez has further cemented his place as an elite prospect by slashing an incredible .355/.399/.597 with 12 home runs and a .242 ISO in 228 plate appearances. Next, he’s likely to continue his development in winter ball, per Hahn (via Fegan).
Unlike Jimenez, Ruiz is far from an elite prospect, but MLB.com does rank him 24th in an impressive Chicago farm system. A former catcher in San Diego’s system, the Padres converted Ruiz into a pitcher but ultimately lost him on waivers to the White Sox last winter. The hard-throwing 23-year-old has a chance to develop into an impact reliever for the White Sox, MLB.com suggests, and he made his mark in Birmingham this season by logging a 3.18 ERA/2.84 FIP with 10.92 K/9 and 3.77 BB/9 in 45 1/3 innings.
Phillies Activate Jerad Eickhoff, Designate Ben Lively
The Phillies have activated right-hander Jerad Eickhoff from the 60-day disabled list and designated fellow righty Ben Lively for assignment, Todd Zolecki of MLB.com tweets.
Eickhoff’s finally in line to pitch after going down in mid-March with a lat strain, an injury that was only supposed to shelve him for six to eight weeks. The 28-year-old ended up missing nearly six months, though, as he suffered multiple setbacks during his recovery and was even checked for thoracic outlet syndrome along the way. Fortunately, Eickhoff dodged that injury – often a catastrophic one for pitchers. He also pitched well in the minors during the rehab process, including at Triple-A Lehigh Valley, where he logged a 2.90 ERA with 6.7 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 in 18 2/3 innings.
Prior to what has essentially been a lost 2018 for Eickhoff, he held his own at times with the Phillies from 2015-17, combining for a 3.87 ERA/4.10 FIP with 7.99 K/9 and 2.58 BB/9 over 376 1/3 frames. Eickhoff started in all 65 appearances during that span, but he may work as a reliever upon his return. The Phillies’ rotation has been among the majors’ best, after all, as Aaron Nola, Jake Arrieta, Zach Eflin, Vince Velazquez and Nick Pivetta have each done respectable to exemplary work over 20-plus starts apiece.
Lively, a Phillie since they acquired him from the Reds for outfielder Marlon Byrd in a 2014 trade, may be on his way to his third organization. The 26-year-old cracked the Phillies’ season-opening rotation and struggled across five starts before succumbing to a back injury, as he posted a 6.85 ERA/5.14 FIP and a 27.5 percent groundball rate over 23 2/3 innings. But Lively did log a solid strikeout rate (8.37 per nine), and he’s only a year removed from providing a passable 4.26 ERA/4.97 FIP in 15 starts and 88 2/3 innings with the Phillies. Plus, Lively has excelled at the Triple-A level this season, with a 2.42 ERA/3.21 FIP and 8.13 K/9 against 2.6 BB/9 in 52 frames.
Braves Designate Dustin Peterson
The Braves have designated outfielder Dustin Peterson for assignment, the team announced via Twitter. The move creates a 40-man roster spot for outfielder Preston Tucker, who Atlanta re-acquired from the Reds in a trade earlier today.
A second-round pick for the Padres in the 2013 draft, Peterson joined the Atlanta organization as one of four prospects San Diego dealt to the Braves for Justin Upton back in December 2014. He has posted a middling .259/.316/.375 slash line over 2599 PA in the minor leagues, though steadily progressed up the chain before an injury-shortened 2017 campaign led him to repeat Triple-A in 2018. Peterson (who turns 24 next week) did well enough to earn his first taste of MLB action, a cup of coffee in May that saw him appear in two games as a pinch-hitter.
Prior to the season, the 2018 Baseball America Prospect Handbook ranked Peterson as the 22nd-best minor leaguer within the Braves’ deep farm system, citing his “above-average bat speed and above-average power.” His power diminished in 2017, perhaps due to the hamate injury that limited him to 87 games, and Peterson didn’t show too much extra pop again this year, with 11 homers and a .406 slugging percentage over 442 PA at the Triple-A level.
Even with this modest performance, MLB.com still had Peterson 15th on their list of Atlanta’s top 30 prospects. Given his youth and second-round pedigree, it wouldn’t be surprising to see a team claim Peterson off DFA waivers to give him a look during the expanded roster period in September.
Braves Acquire Preston Tucker
The Braves have brought back a familiar face in Preston Tucker, re-acquiring the outfielder from the Reds in exchange for cash considerations (as per the Braves’ official Twitter feed).
Atlanta previously traded Tucker to Cincinnati as part of the teams’ July deal involving veteran outfielder Adam Duvall. The 28-year-old Tucker failed to impress during his brief time with the Reds, with only a .664 OPS over 42 plate appearances, and he was demoted to Triple-A earlier this week. Over the entire 2018 season, however, Tucker’s .240/.302/.419 slash line over 169 combined PA with the Braves and Reds this year is nearly league average (96 wRC+).
Tucker will provide the Braves with a bit more outfield depth as rosters expand in September, plus there is some late-bloomer potential given his strong career minor league numbers. Tucker does have 23 homers over his 636 career PA in the big leagues, though his overall production at the plate leaves much to be desired (.224/.281/.410).