Athletics Designate Liam Hendriks For Assignment, Select Edwin Jackson
10:35am: The A’s have announced Hendriks’ DFA. His roster spot goes to right-hander Edwin Jackson, who has formally been selected from Triple-A Nashville. Oakland also activated lefty reliever Ryan Buchter from the DL and optioned outfielder Nick Martini to Triple-A in his place.
10:09am: The Athletics will designate right-handed reliever Liam Hendriks for assignment today, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter).
Hendriks, 29, once rated as one of the better pitching prospects in the Twins’ minor league system but never cemented himself in the big leagues with Minnesota. After unsuccessful stints with the Orioles and Royals, he landed with the Blue Jays, however, and broke out as a quality bullpen piece in 2015. The A’s made a nice trade in sending right-hander Jesse Chavez to the Jays for Hendriks in the 2015-16 offseason, and he delivered two seasons of solid relief in Oakland. In all, from 2015-17, Hendriks notched a 3.63 ERA with 10.2 K/9 against 2.2 BB/9 in 193 1/3 innings in that time.
The 2018 season, however, has been an ugly one for the Australian-born Hendriks. He missed more than a month due to a right groin strain, and he hasn’t performed well when healthy. In 11 innings this season, Hendriks has allowed nine runs on 17 hits and seven walks with a dozen strikeouts. He’s allowed three home runs en route to that ugly 7.36 ERA.
Hendriks’ average fastball velocity is down two miles per hour this season (from 94.7 mph in 2017 to 92.7 mph in 2018), though he’s regained some of that missing heat since being activated from the disabled list earlier this month. He’s earning $1.9MM this season and is controllable for another year via arbitration to any club that either claims him off waivers or swings a trade to acquire his services.
Amateur Draft Signings: 6/24/18
Here are today’s most notable signings from the first few rounds of the draft. Scouting reports and pre-draft rankings can be found courtesy of MLB.com, Fangraphs, Baseball America and ESPN’s Keith Law (the latter two available to subscribers only)…
- The Padres signed Texas Tech outfielder Grant Little to an $800K bonus, MLB Pipeline’s Jim Callis reports (Twitter link). The bonus falls just a bit shy of the $812.2K slot price for the 74th overall pick. Of note, this was the pick in Competitive Balance Round B that San Diego acquired from the Twins last month in the Phil Hughes trade. Fangraphs ranked Little 65th in their rankings, though the other outlets (MLB.com 128th, BA 158th, outside Law’s top 100) weren’t nearly as bullish. Scouts believe Little (a left fielder in college) could handle second base, third base, or even center field as a pro. Little is considered to have strong contact skills at the plate, though he lacks power.
Padres Designate Tyler Webb
The Padres announced that they’ve designated left-hander Tyler Webb for assignment. His roster spot will go to right-hander Robert Stock, whom the team selected from Triple-A on Sunday.
This is the second time a team has designated Webb this season. The Brewers jettisoned Webb on April 7, leading the Padres to claim him off waivers a week later. The 27-year-old went on to throw five innings with San Diego prior to his latest designation, allowing seven earned runs on six hits and three walks (with four strikeouts). He has been far better as a member of the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate in El Paso, where he has logged a 2.05 ERA with 11.45 K/9 and 3.27 BB/9 in 22 innings.
Angels Acquire Deck McGuire, Request Release Waivers On Juan Graterol
JUNE 24: The Angels have requested unconditional release waivers on Graterol, per a team announcement. His release will become official in 48 hours if he clears waivers.
JUNE 19: The Angels announced Tuesday that they’ve acquired right-hander Deck McGuire from the Rangers in exchange for cash. In order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster, catcher Juan Graterol has been designated for assignment. McGuire will head to Triple-A Salt Lake, per the Angels’ announcement.
Texas claimed the 28-year-old McGuire from the Blue Jays last Friday, but he appeared in just one game with the Rangers’ Triple-A affiliate before being designated for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster for the return of Elvis Andrus. Now, McGuire will change organizations for the second time in a span of less than a week.
A former first-round pick (11th overall by the Blue Jays in 2010), McGuire has yet to establish himself as a viable Major League arm. Prior to the 2018 season, in fact, he’s posted largely unsightful numbers at the Triple-A level. However, McGuire enjoyed a strong season with the Reds’ Double-A club in 2017 and carried that success with him back to the Jays organization in 2018, pitching to a 3.22 ERA with 8.1 K/9, 3.8 BB/9, 0.6 HR/9 and a 39.7 percent ground-ball rate in 44 2/3 innings at Triple-A Buffalo.
After making eight promising starts in Buffalo, the Jays summoned him to the Majors, where he was tagged for six runs on nine hits and five walks with seven strikeouts in 8 1/3 innings of relief. But the Rangers and Angels, apparently, both saw enough in his work out of the Buffalo rotation to hold some interest in seeing if the former top prospect can emerge as a late bloomer at the big league level. For the Halos, McGuire will at the very least serve as a spot start/depth option in the upper minors — an important addition following injuries to Shohei Ohtani, Matt Shoemaker, J.C. Ramirez and Nick Tropeano.
Graterol, meanwhile, has made just one plate appearance for the Halos this season, going 1-for-1 with a single. He’s been up and down with the club on multiple occasions dating back to 2016, however, and has now been designated for assignment by the Angels on three different occasions. The first of those instances saw Graterol bounce around the league, briefly landing with the D-backs, Reds and Blue Jays before making his way back to Anaheim. The defensively-sound backstop is a career .222/.225/.283 hitter in 103 MLB plate appearances but carries a more encouraging .290/.318/.349 slash in 449 PAs at the Triple-A level.
Padres Activate Austin Hedges, Select Robert Stock
The Padres announced a slew of roster moves Sunday, including the reinstatement of catcher Austin Hedges from the disabled list and the selection of right-hander Robert Stock from Triple-A. The club also placed righty Jordan Lyles on the DL with right elbow inflammation, recalled reliever Kazuhisa Makita and optioned both reliever Phil Maton and catcher Rafael Lopez. With a full 40-man roster, the Padres will need to create an opening for Stock.
Hedges is back after going on the DL on May 1 because of tendinitis in his right elbow. The 25-year-old struggled at the plate before then, hitting .173/.235/.293 in 81 trips. On the other hand, the defensively gifted Hedges shined as a pitch framer, per Baseball Prospectus. He’ll rejoin A.J. Ellis to comprise the Padres’ top two catchers, pushing Lopez out of the mix. Lopez didn’t take advantage of Hedges’ absence, as he has batted a meager .180/.263/.290 in 114 PAs and offered subpar pitch-framing work this season.
Stock, 28, is finally in position to make his major league debut nine years after the Cardinals chose him in the second round of the 2009 draft. A two-way player at USC, where he was also a catcher, Stock converted to pitching on a full-time basis after the 2011 season. Also a former Pirate and Red (not to mention an indy league participant), Stock joined the Padres prior to 2018 and has since fared well in the minors, including a 23 1/3-inning run at Triple-A, where he has logged a 1.93 ERA with 9.26 K/9, 3.86 BB/9 and a 55.6 percent groundball rate.
Lyles’ issue isn’t expected to require surgery, but he’ll see a doctor Monday, Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune reports. The 27-year-old has collected 21 appearances (eight starts) this year and recorded a 4.46 ERA with 7.56 K/9, 2.43 BB/9 and a 46.8 percent grounder rate over 66 2/3 innings.
Given the numbers Maton has posted this year out of San Diego’s impressive bullpen, his demotion comes as a surprise. The 25-year-old has recorded a 1.53 ERA with 9.17 K/9 and 4.08 BB/9, though he went on the DL with a right lat strain on May 13 and hasn’t been effective in his two outings since returning this week. Over a total of 1 2/3 innings in those appearances, Maton allowed three runs (two earned) on four hits and a walk.
Braves Place Arodys Vizcaino On DL, Select Evan Phillips, DFA Phil Gosselin
The Braves have selected right-handed reliever Evan Phillips from Triple-A Gwinnett, Gabe Burns of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution tweets. They’ll send closer Arodys Vizcaino to the disabled list (retroactive to June 21) to open up a 25-man spot for Phillips, Burns adds, and designate infielder Phil Gosselin for assignment to create 40-man space, per Mark Bowman of MLB.com.
Phillips, who joined the Braves as a 17th-round pick in 2015, is set to make his major league debut after opening the season in impressive fashion in the minors. Across 35 innings this season, the 23-year-old has pitched to a 2.31 ERA with 12.86 K/9, 3.6 BB/9 and a 50.7 percent groundball rate. Phillips doesn’t rank among the Braves’ top 30 prospects at MLB.com or their 32 best farmhands at FanGraphs, though FG’s Eric Longenhagen wrote entering 2017 that his three-pitch mix “may work in middle relief.”
The Braves’ hope is that Phillips will help make up for the loss of Vizcaino, who has dealt with shoulder soreness throughout the season. Thanks in part to that, Vizcaino hasn’t pitched since last Sunday. When he has taken the hill, Vizcaino has continued to show off high-end velocity, helping him to convert 15 of 17 save opportunities and post a 1.82 ERA with 10.01 K/9 and 3.64 BB/9. A.J. Minter and Dan Winkler stand out as the Braves’ best ninth-inning possibilities while Vizcaino’s out, though his shoulder issues could also help push the playoff contenders to acquire veteran relief help prior to the July 31 non-waiver trade deadline.
Gosselin, 29, joined the Braves off waivers from the Reds on May 3. It’s his second stint as a member of the Braves, though he hasn’t actually played with the club this season. Gosselin has instead racked up 126 PAs at Gwinnett and hit .236/.325/.364.
Athletics To Select Edwin Jackson
The Athletics will select right-hander Edwin Jackson from Triple-A Nashville, Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. He’ll make a start Monday in Detroit, Slusser adds.
Oakland will need to make a corresponding 40-man move to create room for Jackson, as its roster is already at capacity. The club may elect to shift injured righty Andrew Triggs from the 10-day disabled list to the 60-day DL, thus opening up a spot for Jackson, per Slusser.
The promotion of Jackson is rather notable because it puts him in position to tie a major league record. The A’s will be Jackson’s 13th MLB team, matching former reliever Octavio Dotel‘s all-time mark. Jackson joined the A’s on a minor league deal on June 6 and earned his way back to the majors with a 4.02 ERA and 16 strikeouts against eight walks over 15 2/3 innings/three starts with their Triple-A club. Overall, including 55 2/3 frames with the Nationals’ Triple-A affiliate, Jackson has logged a 3.53 ERA with 7.9 K/9 and 3.8 BB/9 this season.
Now that he’s heading to the A’s, who have several starting options on the DL, Jackson will be in position to earn at a $1.5MM rate. The 34-year-old will also bring significant experience to the team’s rotation, having amassed 377 appearances and 288 starts since debuting with the Dodgers in 2003. Jackson has registered a 4.67 ERA with 6.94 K/9, 3.55 BB/9 and a 43.7 percent groundball rate over 1,800 1/3 MLB innings. He racked up 76 of those frames in Washington last year, when he struggled to a 5.21 ERA despite playable strikeout and walk rates (7.11 K/9, 3.43 BB/9). Jackson also averaged 93.5 mph on his fastball and recorded a 10.1 percent swinging-strike rate, as MLBTR’s Steve Adams noted last month.
Dodgers Activate Clayton Kershaw
The Dodgers announced today that they’ve officially activated legendary southpaw Clayton Kershaw from the disabled list, optioning lefty Adam Liberatore to Triple-A Oklahoma City.
It was reported yesterday that Kershaw was set to forego a rehab assignment and start tonight’s game. The three-time Cy Young Award-winner has only made eight starts to date this season, which haven’t been quite on par with his usual standards; the lefty owns a 3.47 FIP in 2018 to go with 53 strikeouts against 11 walks in 49 innings. While still respectable, that FIP would be Kershaw’s highest mark since his rookie season in 2008.
The 30-year-old will finally get a chance to re-establish his value in advance of a potential bout with free agency. It’s widely-known that Kershaw can opt out of the remaining two years and $65MM on his contract in order to test the open market, but a hurler who has long been known as the most dominant in the game suddenly has an injury reputation after missing time in each of the past three seasons with back issues. How he performs the rest of the season and whether he stays healthy will both have an impact on whether the future Hall of Famer ends up a free agent at the end of the year.
Liberatore has spent his entire major-league career with the Dodgers, pitching in parts of each season since his debut in 2015. He owns a lifetime ERA of 3.55 in the majors to go along with 9.44 K/9 and 3.65 BB/9. His control appears to have gotten away from him this season, however, as that walk rate has spiked to 5.54 BB/9 (though in an admittedly small 13-inning sample size). Liberatore has pitched fewer than one inning in eight of his 17 appearances on the season.
Angels Claim Hansel Robles
The Angels announced today that they’ve claimed righty reliever Hansel Robles off waivers from the Mets. Robles was designated for assignment just yesterday. Rene Rivera was transferred to the 60-day DL in order to make room on the expanded roster.
As MLBTR’s Jeff Todd noted at that time, Robles put up some solid numbers for the Mets during the 2015 and 2016 seasons. He pitched 131 2/3 innings during that span, allowing 52 earned runs while racking up 146 strikeouts. Robles also pitched three scoreless postseason innings in 2015 without allowing a walk or a hit.
That seems to be in the distant past now, as Robles has an ERA close to 5.00 since the start of the 2017 season. He’s also seen a spike in his walk rate to 4.59 BB/9 during that time frame. Still, the Angels will hope he can add depth to a bullpen that seems to lack stability, as they’ve got a number of relievers with upside but none who have proven themselves reliable across an extended stretch. For the time being, Robles will report to Triple-A Salt Lake.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/23/18
This post will serve as a tracker for today’s minor moves…
- The Rays announced yesterday that infielder Rob Refsnyder cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Durham. The club had acquired the 27-year-old Refsnyder from the Indians at the tail end of spring training in exchange for cash, but designated him for assignment earlier this week after watching him hit just .167/.314/.274 across 103 plate appearances at the MLB level (albeit with a surprisingly fantastic 17.5% walk rate). Refsnyder has also spent time with the Yankees and Blue Jays since his MLB debut in 2015.