Giants Activate Hunter Pence, Option Christian Arroyo
The Giants have activated right fielder Hunter Pence from the disabled list and optioned infielder Christian Arroyo to Triple-A, Alex Pavlovic of NBC Sports Bay Area was among those to report (Twitter link).
Pence hasn’t taken an at-bat since May 12 on account of a left hamstring strain. Before Pence landed on the shelf, the normally steady veteran batted a meek .243/.289/.338 in 149 plate appearances. But the other right fielders the Giants have used this year, the just-designated Justin Ruggiano, Mac Williamson and Austin Slater, have each posted worse batting lines than Pence over a combined 106 trips to the plate. Now, if the 23-34 Giants are going to get back into the playoff race, they’ll need the 34-year-old Pence to return to his typical form. Entering Sunday, San Francisco sits 12 games behind the NL West-leading Dodgers and 10.5 out of a wild-card spot.
Arroyo, whom the Giants promoted in late April, didn’t help their cause in his first taste of major league action. The 22-year-old has been on various top 100 prospect lists (MLB.com currently ranks him 79th), but he hit a woeful .197/.244/.304 and totaled 32 strikeouts against eight walks in his initial big league call-up. Arroyo primarily played third base, where Eduardo Nunez has rebounded offensively since a rough April, and also picked up some middle infield experience.
Minor MLB Transactions: 6/3/17
Here are today’s minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the page…
- The Angels have signed outfielder Cesar Puello to a minor league contract, as their Triple-A roster in Salt Lake indicates. Puello, 26, hit free agency when he exercised an opt-out clause in his deal with the Rangers on Friday. That came after Puello hit .247/.307/.420 in 179 plate appearances with their Triple-A affiliate. Although Puello ranked as Baseball America’s 77th-best prospect after the 2010 season, when he was with the Mets, he still hasn’t debuted in the big leagues. The majority of his work has come at Triple-A, where he owns a .261/.365/.403 line in 839 trips to the plate.
- The Rays have released outfielder Dayron Varona, the Tampa Bay Times’ Marc Topkin reports (Twitter link). After a very impressive seven-year stint in Cuba’s Serie Nacional, Varona signed a minor league deal with the Rays in May 2015 and struggled in his first stint at Triple-A last season. The 29-year-old Varona had posted a .268/.325/.479 slash line over 77 PA this year, though he spent much of May assigned to Tampa’s short-season A-ball affiliate in Hudson Valley.
Angels Designate Deolis Guerra, Outright Daniel Wright
The Angels have announced a series of transactions, including right-hander Deolis Guerra‘s designation for assignment. Righty Daniel Wright, whom the Angels designated on Wednesday, cleared waivers and was outrighted to Triple-A Salt Lake. The team also optioned infielder Jefry Marte and recalled a pair of players, first baseman C.J. Cron and righty Damien Magnifico.
The Halos have outrighted Guerra in the past, meaning the out-of-options reliever will have the ability to reject a minor league assignment and become a free agent if he clears waivers. The 28-year-old is in his second season with the Angels, who chose him in the 2015 Rule 5 draft. Guerra pitched well in 2016, notching a 3.21 ERA, 6.08 K/9, 1.18 BB/9 and a 42.2 percent ground-ball rate in 53 1/3 innings, but got off to a poor start this year prior to his designation. Across 20 2/3 frames this season, Guerra has seen his ERA (5.66), BB/9 (4.35) and grounder rate (36.6) trend in the wrong direction, thus offsetting an increase in strikeouts (8.27 K/9).
Like Guerra, the 26-year-old Wright hasn’t been part of the solution for the Halos this season, having posted a 5.19 ERA, 5.71 K/9, 3.63 BB/9 and a 32.7 percent grounder mark in 17 1/3 innings. Even though Wright has two minor league options remaining and could have gone to Triple-A had another team claimed him, the league’s other 29 clubs passed on the ex-Red.
Giants Sign Jerry Sands To Minors Deal
The Giants have signed outfielder Jerry Sands to a minor league contract, Mike Ashmore of MyCentralJersey.com reports. Sands had been playing for the independent Somerset Patriots, and the 29-year-old will now head to the Giants’ Double-A affiliate.
Sands has only a .670 OPS over 464 plate appearances with the Dodgers, Rays, Indians and White Sox during his big league career, though the right-handed hitter has produced a very solid .285/.335/.477 slash line against lefty pitching. Much of Sands’ experience comes in the corner outfield slots and he has a handful of games at first base, so he brings a bit of defensive versatility.
Sands is the latest veteran outfielder signed by the Giants as the team tries to fix an already-thin outfield that has been further hampered by several injuries. San Francisco has added the likes of Melvin Upton Jr., Drew Stubbs and Justin Ruggiano on minors deals, with little impact (Upton underwent wrist surgery and Ruggiano was recently designated for assignment). Hunter Pence‘ imminent return from the DL will be a big help for the Giants, but with left field still a question mark, there is certainly opportunity for Sands to return to the majors.
Royals Option Jorge Soler To Triple-A
The Royals have optioned outfielder Jorge Soler to Triple-A Omaha, the team announced. Outfielder Billy Burns has been called up in a corresponding move.
[Updated Royals depth chart at Roster Resource]
As Rustin Dodd of the Kansas City Star notes (on Twitter), the move has some strategic short-term logic, as Burns provides more defensive versatility for the Royals’ five games in NL ballparks next week. In the big picture, however, the move comes as a way to get Soler some regular playing time during what has been a very lackluster start to his Royals career.
Kansas City acquired Soler from the Cubs in a one-for-one trade for Wade Davis in the offseason, with the hopes that Soler would emerge as something of a post-hype breakout candidate. A heavily-touted prospect out of Cuba, Soler battled injuries and hit .258/.328/.434 over 765 PA as a Cub from 2014-16, eventually getting squeezed out of playing time due to Chicago’s outfield depth.
Since joining the Royals, however, injuries and a roster crunch have again limited Soler’s value. After missing all of April with an oblique strain, Soler has posted just a .565 OPS over 65 plate appearances this season and lost the regular right field job to the hot-hitting Jorge Bonifacio. With Brandon Moss in the DH spot on most days, there simply hasn’t been much room for Soler to get into the lineup, especially given his lack of performance.
Soler is still just 25 and is under contract through the 2020 season, as per his original nine-year, $30MM deal with the Cubs. The Royals clearly still see the outfielder as an important long-term piece, so it behooves both sides that Soler gets on track with an everyday role in Triple-A. It’s hard to estimate exactly how long Soler will be in the minors, though with the Royals in last place and potentially facing a selloff of several veterans at the deadline, he’ll surely be back in K.C. before the season is out.
Dodgers To Acquire Jason Wheeler
The Dodgers have struck a deal to acquire lefty Jason Wheeler from the Twins, according to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Star Tribune (via Twitter). Cash considerations are headed to Minnesota in return.
Wheeler, 26, was designated for assignment recently by Minnesota. He reached the big leagues briefly for the first time earlier this year, struggling through two outings.
But the Dodgers evidently saw something in Wheeler’s minor league work to like. The soft-tossing southpaw, who has worked almost exclusively as a starter, struggled struggled against right-handed bats in his first crack at the upper minors. But he reversed that in 2016. Over 169 1/3 innings, most of them at Triple-A, he posted a 3.30 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 2.0 BB/9.
Mariners Designate Andrew Aplin, Place Jean Segura On DL
The Mariners have announced a host of roster moves, with recently claimed outfielder Andrew Aplin losing his 40-man spot and shortstop Jean Segura heading to the 10-day DL. Seattle has called up righty Tyler Cloyd and infielder Tyler Smith.
Two additional corresponding moves were needed as well. Righty Casey Lawrence was optioned to Triple-A, while fellow right-hander Ryan Weber was shifted to the 60-day DL to clear an extra 40-man spot.
Aplin, who was just picked up from the division-rival Astros, has yet to see MLB action with any organization. Seattle will presumably hope that the 26-year-old outfielder will clear waivers this time and land back at Triple-A Tacoma.
It’s not yet clear just what the prognosis is for Segura, who is easily the most significant player involved in today’s moves. He has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain, per the M’s, who can scarcely afford a lengthy absence from one of the club’s best performers.
As for the newcomers, it’s interesting to see Cloyd moving back to the majors after joining the Mariners from the independent leagues less than one month ago. He has impressed in four starts at Tacoma, though, with a 1.10 ERA and 14:2 K/BB ratio over 16 1/3 frames.
The 25-year-old Smith, meanwhile, is set to make his major league debut. He had been off to an improved start after scuffling somewhat last year at the highest level of the minors. Through 193 Triple-A plate appearances in 2017, Smith carries a .265/.344/.400 batting line with five home runs while lining up primarily at shortstop.
Angels To Sign Michael Bourn
The Angels have agreed to a minor-league deal with veteran outfielder Michael Bourn, according to SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (Twitter link). He had recently opted out of his deal with the Orioles.
Los Angeles is building up its outfield depth in the wake of injuries to Mike Trout and Cameron Maybin, each of whom are on the DL. Bourn will head to Triple-A Salt Lake City, which just lost Eric Young Jr. and Shane Robinson to the MLB roster.
Bourn, 34, finished his 2016 season on a strong note in a productive 24-game run with the Orioles. But he had struggled earlier in the year with the Diamondbacks and hasn’t been a productive regular since 2013.
Still, it seems reasonable to hope that the fleet-footed veteran could function as a useful bench or platoon player. He was getting on base at an excellent .373 clip through 51 plate appearances at Triple-A in the Baltimore organization, though he was lagging in batting average (.220) and power (.317 slugging percentage).
Rangers To Designate Sam Dyson For Assignment
TODAY: Texas has officially announced the move.
YESTERDAY: The Rangers will designate struggling former closer Sam Dyson for assignment, reports Ken Rosenthal of FOX Sports (Twitter links). Texas expects to trade Dyson after informing other clubs of its plans and receiving interest from more than one team, Rosenthal adds. Jose Leclerc will be activated from the DL to take Dyson’s place on the roster.
Dyson, 29, emerged as the closer in Texas just one year ago on the strength of an excellent 2.43 ERA with 7.0 K/9, 2.9 BB/9 and a 65.2 percent ground-ball rate. He logged a total of 70 1/3 innings and picked up 38 saves last season, leading to a $3.52MM salary in arbitration last winter. However, the 2017 season has been nothing short of nightmarish for Dyson, who has posted a 10.80 ERA with more walks (12) than strikeouts (7). Dyson has served up six homers in just 16 2/3 innings this year after yielding a total of five over the life of the entire 2016 season.
Dyson is still owed the balance of that aforementioned salary — a commitment of roughly $2.347MM through season’s end. Of course, Texas could offset some of that salary in trade talks with interested teams over the course of the next few days. Presumably, the move won’t be made official until tomorrow, as the Rangers are off today.
Despite his disastrous results in 2017, it’s not difficult to envision a club rolling the dice on Dyson’s track record. From 2014-16, the righty posted a combined 2.45 ERA with 7.6 K/9 against 2.8 BB/9 in 187 2/3 innings with the Marlins and Rangers. And while he hasn’t been able to keep the ball in the yard this year, his heavy ground-ball tendencies helped him to average just 0.5 HR/9 across those three seasons. Furthermore, Dyson has maintained a ground-ball rate north of 61 percent in 2017 and is averaging nearly 95 mph on his fastball.
While one can make the argument for any number of teams to take a gamble on Dyson, a few stand out as plausible in my eyes. The Nationals have been looking for late-inning ‘pen help for quite some time and could try Dyson in a low-leverage role with the hope that he can reemerge as a viable setup option. The Mets, too, are in need of relief help following Jeurys Familia‘s injury. The Twins’ have the worst bullpen ERA in the Majors and may find the idea of acquiring Dyson at a bargain rate appealing, given that their surprising status as AL Central contenders clashes with their expected plan of rebuilding. (Notably, Minnesota GM Thad Levine was a longtime Rangers assistant GM before moving to the Twins this year.) Of course, all of those fits are purely my own speculation.
Braves Designate Emilio Bonifacio
The Braves have designated utilityman Emilio Bonifacio for assignment, per a club announcement. The club also optioned infielder Jace Peterson and righty Matt Wisler to Triple-A.
Those moves opened three active roster spots for Atlanta. Southpaw Eric O’Flaherty and third baseman Adonis Garcia will come back from rehab stints to rejoin the club. Also, infielder Johan Camargo was recalled.
[RELATED: Updated Braves Depth Chart]
It’s not surprising to see Atlanta move on from Bonifacio. The versatile 32-year-old has only seen 44 plate appearances in his 38 games of action, all in the outfield, and owns an anemic .132/.150/.211 batting line.
Neither Peterson nor Wisler were performing well, either, though in those cases there are longer-term implications. The 27-year-old Peterson had turned in a solid 2016 campaign, but is slashing just .194/.293/.259 through 123 trips to the plate this season. Wisler, 24, has struggled in the bullpen after spending the bulk of his career as a starter. He has permitted seven earned runs through nine innings with just three strikeouts against three walks.
The Atlanta organization, which sits seven games under .500 entering today’s action, will hope for more from its trio of new roster additions. But none have performed very well in the early going. In fact, their current-season lines are near matches for the scuffling players they’ll replace.
The veteran O’Flaherty owns an ugly 6.59 ERA in 13 2/3 innings, with nine strikeouts and six walks on the ledger. Garcia entered the year as the regular third baseman but is hitting just .237/.278/.348 in 144 plate appearances. And Camargo, a first-year player who isn’t regarded as a future regular, has reached base only twice in his 11 appearances at the dish — though he has hit quite well at Triple-A.