Indians Select Jeff Beliveau, Option Adam Plutko
The Indians announced Tuesday that they’ve selected the contract of left-handed reliever Jeff Beliveau from Triple-A Columbus and optioned right-hander Adam Plutko to Columbus in his place. Cleveland’s 40-man roster is now full.
Beliveau, 31, will return to the Indians for a second stint this season. He allowed four runs on five hits and four walks with two strikeouts in 3 1/3 innings for Cleveland earlier this season before being designated for assignment, outrighted, and accepting an assignment to Triple-A. He’s notched a 22-to-4 K/BB ratio in 15 1/3 innings with Columbus this season.
[Related: Updated Cleveland Indians depth chart]
The 26-year-old Plutko pitched quite well in his first two starts of the season and flirted with a no-hitter against the Cubs on May 23, though the White Sox knocked him around for five runs in his most recent start. With prospect Shane Bieber stepping up for a spot start on Thursday this week, the Indians won’t need a fifth starter for the foreseeable future, so Plutko can head back to Triple-A to work on regular rest before potentially returning at some point in June.
It’s possible, though, that Bieber steps up and seizes the fifth spot in the rotation that was vacated earlier this month when Cleveland shifted Josh Tomlin to the bullpen. It’ll likely be a performance-based decision, but both right-handers seem likely to play significant roles on Cleveland’s pitching staff through season’s end. Each has been outstanding in the minors thus far, and the Indians have seen their bullpen struggle while receiving little from the fifth spot in their rotation.
J.P. Howell Joins Indy Ball Team
Former MLB lefty J.P. Howell has joined the independent league San Rafael Pacifics, as John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle reports. Those interested in an enjoyable story will certainly want to give the article a full read.
Howell’s new team is a member of the Pacific Association. While that’s not traditionally the top circuit for players looking to catch the eye of MLB scouts, it’s close to home for the veteran hurler. Howell, who has a dozen years of experience at the game’s highest level, says he’s keen to enjoy the experience but also still hopes to make it back to the big leagues.
Last year, Howell appeared in 16 games with the Blue Jays, but he struggled while dealing with shoulder problems. It wasn’t long ago, though, that he was a productive member of the Dodgers’ bullpen. Prior to that point, he reached the majors with the Royals and spent six campaigns with the Rays. All told, he has accumulated 619 2/3 innings of 3.83 ERA ball in the majors.
Howell intends to work as a starter with the Pacifics, though it’s not clear that he’s necessarily pursuing a dedicated return to the rotation as part of a strategy for a MLB re-run. The 35-year-old, who broke into the majors as a starter, simply tells Shea: “The more reps the better.”
Astros To Place Brian McCann On DL, Select Tim Federowicz
The Astros will place catcher Brian McCann on the 10-day DL with knee soreness, Jake Kaplan of The Athletic was among those to report on Twitter. He’ll be replaced on the active roster by fellow backstop Tim Federowicz, whose contract will be selected.
McCann has dealt with knee issues in the past, which perhaps is not terribly surprising for a 34-year-old who has logged over 1,500 games behind the dish in his MLB career. By the description, it seems this placement is more about dealing with the long-term wear and tear than addressing any particular recent, acute injury.
Certainly, the numbers suggest it’s time for a respite. While the ‘Stros have surged, McCann has fallen off with the bat. He posted a .271/.397/.407 slash in his first 73 plate appearances but is hitting just .164/.207/.291 in his most recent 58 trips to the dish.
As for Federowicz, he’ll be appearing in his seventh MLB season, though he has only 318 total plate appearances to date at the game’s highest level. He has been doing damage at Triple-A, as is his wont, with a .337/.407/.584 slash in 113 plate appearances this year — boosting his lifetime OPS at the highest level of the minors to a healthy .884 mark.
Generally, this move helps explain why many see the ‘Stros as a plausible suitor for catching help at the trade deadline. McCann, who’s controlled by a club option for 2019, has generally been a solid asset for Houston but likely isn’t suited to heavy usage behind the dish at this stage of his career. Current reserve Max Stassi has impressed to date with a .300/.371/.525 slash on the year, though that has come with 29 strikeouts in 89 plate appearances.
Giants Designate D.J. Snelten, Release Hector Sanchez
The Giants have designated left-hander D.J. Snelten for assignment, Kerry Crowley of the Bay Area News Group reports. Additionally, the club has released catcher Hector Sanchez, per Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area. Sanchez recently suffered his eighth concussion, Pavlovic notes.
The 25-year-old Snelten’s exiting the Giants’ 40-man roster to make room for the addition of righty Dereck Rodriguez. Snelten, a 6-foot-7, 245-pounder, joined the Giants in the ninth round of the 2013 draft and worked his way to the majors this year. He struggled across 4 1/3 innings, though, allowing five earned runs on nine hits and three walks (with four strikeouts). Snelten has been far more effective at Triple-A since last season, having combined for a 2.84 ERA with 7.5 K/9 and 3.5 BB/9 over 69 2/3 frames.
Sanchez, 28, has spent the majority of his professional career in the San Francisco organization. He made his pro debut back in 2007 and ascended to the majors in 2011, later seeing extensive action with the Giants from 2012-14. He left the Giants after 2015 and spent the ’16 campaign with the White Sox and Padres, only to return to San Francisco the next season.
Sanchez stayed with the Giants on a minor league deal over the winter, but he hasn’t seen any major league action this year. In all, he has amassed 834 plate appearances in the majors, including 637 with the Giants, and hit .238/.273/.367.
Padres Designate Kyle McGrath
The Padres have designated left-hander Kyle McGrath for assignment, according to the team. His 40-man spot will go to right-hander Phil Hughes, whom the Padres acquired from the Twins on Sunday.
McGrath has been with the Padres since 2014, when they selected him in the 36th round of the draft, and made his major league debut last year. Across 23 innings in San Diego, including four this season, the 25-year-old has notched a 3.13 ERA with 7.83 K/9, 3.52 BB/9 and a minuscule 28.1 percent groundball rate. Additionally, McGrath has limited left-handed hitters to an ugly .152/.243/.250 line.
Should a team in need of a lefty reliever claim McGrath, it would have the ability to send him to the minors. McGrath still has three options remaining, and has spent most of this year with the Padres’ Triple-A affiliate.
Twins Claim Taylor Motter
The Twins have claimed infielder Taylor Motter off waivers from the Mariners, per announcements from both teams. Motter will report to the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate.
Motter, whom the Mariners designated on Sunday, will now join his third major league organization. Motter debuted with the Rays in 2016 and has since racked up 390 plate appearances at the game’s highest level. While Motter hasn’t hit much (.198/.269/.326), he has done his best to offset a lack of offense with defensive versatility. The 28-year-old is primarily a shortstop, but he has also totaled at least 10 games’ experience at every corner position and second base.
Motter has spent most of this season at Triple-A, and given that he has an option remaining, he’s able to serve as minors depth without issue. But it’s possible he’ll eventually get an opportunity at short in Minnesota, where starter Ehire Adrianza has been woeful at the plate.
Pirates Place George Kontos On Release Waivers
MAY 28: The Pirates have placed Kontos on unconditional release waivers, Liz Bloom of the Pittsburgh-Post Gazette tweets.
MAY 25: The Pirates have designated righty George Kontos for assignment, the club announced. His roster spot was needed for the activation of fellow right-hander Joe Musgrove from the DL.
Kontos, 32, had turned in a nice showing last year upon arriving in mid-season, and has generally produced excellent earned-run averages in the majors. But his peripherals have rarely matched his bottom-line numbers and the veteran had struggled quite a bit to open the 2018 season.
Through 19 2/3 innings in the present campaign, Kontos carries a 5.03 ERA with just 4.1 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9. He had shown a breakout ability to generate whiffs last year with a 16.4% swinging-strike rate, but he’s sitting at just 8.5% in 2018.
Angels Designate Ian Krol
The Angels have designated left-hander Ian Krol for assignment, Jeff Fletcher of the Southern California News Group tweets. The Halos recalled righty Akeel Morris from Triple-A in a corresponding move.
Krol is in his first year with the Angels, who signed him to a minor league deal over the winter. The 27-year-old made his debut appearance with the club on Sunday and tossed two scoreless innings of one-hit ball, but that wasn’t enough to keep him on its roster. Krol previously threw 21 effective innings at Triple-A, where he posted a 1.71 ERA with 8.57 K/9, 3.56 BB/9 and a 50.9 percent groundball rate.
Also a former National, Tiger and Brave, Krol has produced passable numbers at the major league level, having combined for a 4.50 ERA with 8.43 K/9, 3.46 BB/9 and a 45.2 percent grounder rate in 190 innings. He’s out of minor league options, though, so if a team does claim Krol, it’ll need to put him on its 25-man roster or try to sneak him back through waivers.
Giants To Select Dereck Rodriguez
The Giants will select right-hander Dereck Rodriguez from Triple-A Sacramento on Monday, per Andrew Baggarly of The Athletic. San Francisco already has a full 40-man roster, so it’ll have to create a spot for Rodriguez.
The 25-year-old Rodriguez comes with an interesting backstory, as Jesse Sanchez of MLB.com detailed in 2017. Not only is Rodriguez the son of Hall of Fame catcher Ivan Rodriguez, but he’s still relatively new to pitching. The younger Rodriguez entered the pro ranks as an outfield prospect in 2011, when the Twins selected him in the sixth round. That didn’t work out, however, leading the Twins to turn Rodriguez into a pitcher back in 2013.
Rodriguez took to his position change quickly and eventually reached the Double-A level with the Twins, but his time with the organization ended after last season. He then signed a minors pact over the winter with the Giants, and has since pitched to a 3.40 ERA with 9.5 K/9 and 2.0 BB/9 in 50 1/3 Triple-A innings (nine appearances, all starts). Rodriguez will work out of the Giants’ bullpen in his first major league call-up.
Padres Acquire Phil Hughes
4:51pm: $7.25MM is the precise sum, Jon Heyman of FanRag hears.
1:54pm: The Padres will pick up approximately $7.5MM of Hughes’ contract, Mark Feinsand of MLB.com tweets.
1:05pm: The Padres have acquired right-hander Phil Hughes, cash and the 74th pick in June’s draft from the Twins for young catcher Janigson Villalobos, per announcements from both teams.
The Twins designated Hughes for assignment earlier this week, even though they still owed him the rest of his $13.2MM salary this year and another $13.2MM in 2019. Now, Minnesota will eat the remainder of Hughes’ salary this year, but San Diego will pay nearly half the tab next season, AJ Cassavell of MLB.com suggests.
In a best-case scenario for the rebuilding Padres, the 31-year-old Hughes would reemerge as a viable starter or reliever with the club. However, there doesn’t seem to be much hope on either front, given that Hughes has recently undergone two different surgeries to address thoracic outlet syndrome – which is often a death knell for pitchers. Those procedures ended each of Hughes’ previous two seasons prematurely, and have played a role in the bloated 5.99 ERA he has logged across 124 2/3 innings (33 appearances, 22 starts) since 2016.
While Hughes is certainly the eye-catching name in this trade, acquiring the pick in Competitive Balance Round B is the greater boon for San Diego. The Padres now have four of the draft’s top 85 choices, including Nos. 7 and 38, with which to add to an already deep farm system. The Friars’ newest selection carries a slot value of $812,200, and adding it will help make up for the pick they lost when they signed free-agent first baseman Eric Hosmer in the offseason.
Villalobos, a Venezuela native, immigrated to the United States when he signed a deal with the Padres in March 2016. He went on to post a .253/.408/.322 line in 233 plate appearances at the Rookie level from 2016-17, though the 21-year-old hasn’t played anywhere this season. He’ll suit up for the Rookie level Gulf Coast Twins when their season begins.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.