Padres Claim Tim Melville
The Padres have claimed right-hander Tim Melville off waivers from the Twins, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports (Twitter link). Righty Miguel Diaz was moved to the 60-day DL in a corresponding move.
Melville signed a minor league deal with Minnesota in June and he made one single appearance on the big league roster, a spot start last Monday that saw him surrender five runs over 3 1/3 innings. The Twins designated Melville for assignment the next day.
Given Melville’s good numbers at both the Triple-A level and for the independent Long Island Ducks this season, he is worth a flier for a Padres team that is looking to find some hidden gems in their rebuilding process. Melville has improved his strikeout rate this season and cut down on the walks that plagued him earlier in his nine-year minor league career. As Berardino tweets, the Padres have had some good recent success on waiver wire pickups, adding both Brad Hand and Kirby Yates on claims.
Angels Claim Blake Wood
The Angels have claimed righty Blake Wood off waivers from the Reds, per a club announcement. Right-hander Matt Shoemaker was shifted to the 60-day DL to make way for the acquisition.
Wood had been designated recently by Cincinnati after a pair of dreadful outings. But he certainly has a big arm and some track record of success in the majors.
The Halos will hope that Wood becomes the team’s latest reclamation success — perhaps helping to make up for the absence of David Hernandez, who was dealt away at the deadline. Since, the Angels have managed to climb into the thick of the AL Wild Card race.
Wood, 32, carried a 3.69 ERA until he was lit up on August 11th. Now, just two weeks later, that figure has ballooned all the way to 5.65. But he does still have solid-enough peripherals, with 9.7 K/9 against 4.6 BB/9 along with a 53.6% groundball rate, and still works in the 97 mph range with his heater.
If Wood can prove his worth in Los Angeles, the club may also consider retaining him for the future. He’s earning $1.275MM this year and can be tendered arbitration once more this fall.
Mariners Outright Leonys Martin
Aug. 25: The Mariners announced on Friday that Martin has cleared waivers and been assigned outright to Triple-A Tacoma.
Aug. 23: The Mariners have designated outfielder Leonys Martin for assignment, per Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times (via Twitter). Martin’s active roster spot will go to David Phelps, who was activated from the 10-day DL.
This represents the second trip through DFA limbo on the year for Martin, who was outrighted and later re-selected to the roster. The 29-year-old was much better in his second stint this season, but still managed only a .230/.266/.426 batting line in the 64 plate appearances since he returned to the majors in late July.
Martin is likely to clear waivers, given that he is earning $4.85MM for the season, and can elect free agency if he is outrighted. Doing so, however, would mean forfeiting the remainder of that $4.85MM payday — a sum of roughly $1.03MM. (Players do not earn the right to reject an outright and retain their salary until clearing five years of MLB service.) Martin is eligible for arbitration again this fall, but it seems all but certain he’ll be non-tendered even if he stays in the Seattle organization through the end of the year.
Rays Sign Danny Espinosa To Major League Deal
12:34pm: The Rays have now announced the signing. Fellow infielder Daniel Robertson was optioned to Durham to clear a roster spot.
12:30pm: It’s a Major League deal for Espinosa with the Rays. (SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo first tweeted as much.)
12:16pm: The Rays are adding veteran infielder Danny Espinosa, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times reports (on Twitter). Espinosa began the year with the Angels but was cut loose and latched on with the Mariners before being released there as well. Topkin doesn’t specify the type of transaction, though presumably it’s a minor league deal. Espinosa was placed on release waivers five days ago, so he’d already have cleared at this point. Espinosa is represented by MVP Sports.
It’s been a brutal year at the plate for Espinosa, 30, as he’s struggled to a career-worst .164/.237/.279 slash line through 271 plate appearances in the American League West. In his first taste of American League play, the longtime Nationals infielder saw his strikeout rate soar to 36.2 percent as his line-drive rate plummeted to a career-worst 12.9 percent. Espinosa’s hard-hit rate (32.2 percent) is still a bit higher than his career mark (31.1 percent), but the majority of those balls in play have apparently been of the fly-ball or ground-ball variety, as Espinosa checks in north of 41 percent in each regard (41.8% grounders, 45.7 percent flies).
For all of his warts at the plate in recent years, though, Espinosa has terrific career marks in both Defensive Runs Saved and Ultimate Zone Rating as a second baseman and as a shortstop. Neither DRS nor UZR was especially bullish on his work in 2017, grading him as a roughly average glove at second base, but the track record (and the bit of experience he has at the hot corner as well) likely appealed to a Rays club that traditionally places a high value on defensive prowess and versatility.
Whether Espinosa immediately joins the big league club remains to be seen. We’re just a week away from the point at which rosters can expand, so Tampa Bay could conceivably stash him at Triple-A Durham for the next seven days and then bring him aboard to add some bench depth and versatility for the final month of the year.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/25/17
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the league…
- The Pirates have inked former Brewers right-hander and Angels farmhand Johnny Hellweg to a minor league pact and assigned him to Double-A, Bill Brink of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette tweets. Saturday will mark the four-year anniversary of the now-28-year-old Hellweg’s most recent MLB appearance, as the 6’7″ righty had Tommy John surgery in 2014 and has struggled in minor league stints with Milwaukee and San Diego since that time. Hellweg has spent most of the past two years pitching for the New Jersey Jackals of the independent Can-Am Association, where he’s posted some gaudy strikeout totals. In 38 innings of relief this year, the former starter owns a 62-to-16 K/BB ratio, and he’s only given up two homers in a total of 59 indy ball frames. It’s obviously late in the season, but the Bucs could view this as a 2018 minor league audition for Hellweg.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/23/17
Here are some of the latest minor moves from around the game, as reported by Baseball America’s Matt Eddy, unless otherwise noted:
- The Tigers announced tonight that they’ve optioned lefty Chad Bell to Triple-A Toledo and will select the contract of right-hander Zac Reininger prior to Thursday’s contest. The 24-year-old Reininger was Detroit’s eight-round pick back in 2013 and has had a strong season across three minor league levels in 2017, rising from Class-A Advanced to Triple-A. In 63 2/3 total innings, Reininger has posted a 2.54 ERA with 8.5 K/9 against 2.5 BB/9. His ground-ball rate was a strong 53.4 percent in 28 Class-A frames but has fallen to the 39 percent range in the upper minors.
Rangers Acquire Pedro Gonzalez To Complete Jonathan Lucroy Trade
The Rangers announced that they’ve acquired minor league outfielder Pedro Gonzalez from the Rockies as the player to be named later in the trade that sent Jonathan Lucroy to Colorado.
Gonzalez, 19, ranked as the Rockies’ No. 14 prospect per Jim Callis and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com. Fangraphs’ Eric Longenhagen rated him as highly as fourth among Colorado farmhands on his updated summer ranking of Rockies prospects.
Callis and Mayo note that Gonzalez has the type of power that scouts can dream on, noting that he has “considerable” bat speed and has grown three inches and added 15 pounds of muscle since signing as a 16-year-old. Longenhagen calls his upside “immense,” though he notes that strikeouts are an issue for the shortstop-turned-outfielder. MLB.com’s report notes that while he has the present range for center field thanks to improved speed, he could be destined to play a corner in the bigs.
Through 209 plate appearances, Gonzalez is batting an excellent .321/.388/.519 with three homers, 16 doubles and six triples against older competition. He’s swiped 11 bases in 17 tries on the season as well. He’ll report to the team’s short-season Class-A affiliate in the Northwest League, per the Rangers’ announcement.
Gonzalez looks to be a nice add to the Rangers’ farm system, even if he’s a ways from the Majors and obviously won’t eliminate the sting of surrendering Lewis Brinson, Luis Ortiz and Ryan Cordell to acquire Lucroy and Jeremy Jeffress in the first place.
As for the Rockies, they have to be rather pleased with the way the trade has played out to date, as through his first 16 games in Colorado, Lucroy has slashed a resurgent .313/.443/.458. He’s yet to connect on his first Rockies homer, but he’s chipped in five doubles and a triple since joining his new club.
Red Sox Acquire Rajai Davis
The Red Sox have struck a deal to acquire fleet-footed outfielder Rajai Davis from the Athletics, the teams announced on Tuesday night. Minor league outfielder Rafael Rincones is going back to the A’s in exchange, and Boston has designated first baseman/outfielder Steve Selsky to clear a 40-man roster spot. Davis had previously ranked eighth on MLBTR’s most recent list of the top August trade candidates.
The 36-year-old Davis had a slow first half to the season but has been on fire since the All-Star break, hitting .303/.361/.487 with three homers and 11 steals (in 13 attempts). Overall, he’s stolen 26 bases in 32 attempts. Davis will give Boston a huge boost in terms of speed in the season’s final month as well as in the postseason — both times when clubs are more likely to carry pinch-running specialists.
Of course, Davis’ second-half production and his respectable .255/.319/.396 slash against left-handed pitching illustrate that he brings far more to the table than just his wheels. He’ll also give the Sox a veteran outfield option capable of playing all three spots while Jackie Bradley sits out for the next week-plus due to a sprained thumb.
Davis brings to the Red Sox a history of speed and performing well against left-handed pitching. The veteran outfielder has five seasons of 40-plus steals under his belt, including a 43-steal campaign in 2016 that paced the American League. He’s also a career .285/.341/.434 hitter when holding the platoon advantage; His most memorable hit against a lefty provided one of the most dramatic moments in recent postseason history, when he took Cubs closer Aroldis Chapman deep in Game 7 of the 2016 World Series.
Davis signed a one-year deal worth $6MM to return to Oakland for his second stint with the A’s this past offseason, and he’s still owed the balance of that salary — a sum of approximately $1.28MM.
Rincones turned 18 on July 1 and has spent the first two seasons of his professional career playing for the Red Sox’ affiliate in the Dominican Summer League. Through 380 plate appearances, the switch-hitting Rincones has batted .267/.386/.368 with a pair of homers, 18 doubles, four triples and 14 steals (in 19 attempts).
Nick Cafardo of the Boston Globe and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic had both previously reported that the Red Sox were nearing a trade or waiver claim, and Rosenthal added that Selsky had been designated for assignment. CSN New England’s Evan Drellich first reported that Davis was going to Boston (on Twitter). Susan Slusser of the San Francisco Chronicle tweeted that it was a trade, not a waiver claim, and she was also the first to report that the A’s were acquiring Rincones (Twitter link).
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.
Red Sox Designate Steve Selsky, Could Be On Verge Of Acquiring Outfielder
The Red Sox will designate first baseman/outfielder Steve Selsky, reports Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic (via Twitter). Rosenthal adds that the Red Sox may be on the verge of a trade, but president of baseball ops Dave Dombrowski refused comment on the matter.
Notably, the Boston Globe’s Nick Cafardo tweeted recently that the Sox “appear” to be on the verge of adding someone via trade or waiver claim, so Selsky’s DFA would clear a 40-man roster spot to facilitate such a move. Rosenthal tweets that the move is “likely” for an outfielder.
[Related: Last Week’s Top 25 August Trade Candidates]
Selsky, 28, received just nine plate appearances with the Red Sox this offseason and has struggled through Triple-A as well. Despite a strong track record at that level in the Reds organization prior to the 2017 season, Selsky has posted a disappointing .215/.270/.360 batting line with 11 homers and 10 doubles through 322 plate appearances. That’s a far cry from the solid .280/.353/.469 that he slashed in Triple-A last year as well as the strong .314/.340/.471 line he posted through 54 PAs in his Major League debut with Cincinnati in 2016.
Indians Place Miller, Salazar, Kipnis On 10-Day DL
3:32pm: The team doesn’t currently have a timetable for Kipnis’ return, manager Terry Francona tells reporters (Twitter links via Bastian). An MRI revealed a strain, but there could be some scar tissue forming in Kipnis’ hamstring as well. As for Miller, the Indians consulted with the Cleveland Cavaliers’ medical staff to get another opinion on dealing with this type of injury to a player of Miller’s height. They’ll have a more detailed update tomorrow, but it doesn’t appear that the injury is especially serious.
Aug. 23, 1:57pm: Kipnis is headed to the DL with what the team is calling a hamstring strain, though the severity isn’t yet known. Infielder Erik Gonzalez has been recalled to take his roster spot.
Aug. 22, 10:38pm: Indians fans can breathe a sigh of relief with respect to Salazar, as Ryan Lewis of the Akron Beacon-Journal tweets that his MRI came back clean. That said, Salazar will still “be down a few days before being built back up,” per Lewis.
Unfortunately for Cleveland fans, though, there’s now yet another injury situation over which to have some trepidation. Second baseman Jason Kipnis exited tonight’s game in the second inning with tightness in his right hamstring, and Paul Hoynes of the Cleveland Plain Dealer tweets that Kipnis is scheduled for an MRI of his own tomorrow.
Kipnis was on the disabled list from July 9 through Aug. 6 due to a strained right hamstring and missed three additional games with discomfort in that same hamstring earlier this month.
4:22pm: MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian tweets that Salazar felt “tightness” in his right elbow during a side session Tuesday and will undergo an MRI later tonight.
2:23pm: The Indians have placed two key hurlers — lefty Andrew Miller and right-handed starter Danny Salazar — on the 10-day DL, per a club announcement. The team has recalled righty Shawn Armstrong and infielder Yandy Diaz to take the open roster spots.
It’s disappointing to see both Miller and Salazar landing back on the DL so soon after recent trips. The former left his appearance last night after a worrying dip in velocity, as his patellar tendinitis flared up. Meanwhile, the latter has been diagnosed with elbow inflammation. He missed a lengthy stretch with shoulder woes, but had pitched brilliantly in his first five starts upon his return before turning in a dud in his last outing.
The outlook on these two pitchers isn’t yet clear, but Cleveland will obviously be hoping for a relatively quick return. While the Indians do enjoy a fairly healthy 5.5-game cushion in the AL Central, that’s hardly an unassailable position. If a repeat postseason run is to be had, the club will need these high-powered arms at its disposal.