Reds Outright J.J. Hoover
The Reds announced on Thursday that right-hander J.J. Hoover has cleared waivers and been sent outright to Triple-A Louisville. That represents a disappointing end to his work this year in Cincinnati, though a late-year return remains possible.
Entering the year, Hoover was positioned as the Reds’ closer after winning his arbitration hearing in his first year of eligibility. That didn’t last long, though, as he blew his first save opportunity and only ended up converting one on the season.
Hoover ended up being optioned in early May after posting disastrous results in the early going. He showed better immediately upon his return, but coughed up five earned runs in consecutive outings before going out on optional assignment once again. A significant decline in average fastball velocity certainly hasn’t helped. Hoover sits with a 13.50 ERA over 18 2/3 frames at the major league level in 2016, with opponents hitting a ridiculous .345/.433/.750 against him.
Ultimately, Cincinnati decided it couldn’t dedicate a 40-man roster spot to the veteran and decided on today’s outright. As things stand, he looks to be a non-tender candidate in the fall. That being said, Hoover ought to receive attention as a bounce-back candidate. Entering the year, he owned a 3.34 ERA over 223 2/3 major league innings with 9.1 K/9 against 4.1 BB/9, and he has been better this season when pitching at the Triple-A level.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/4/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Angels outfielder Daniel Nava has been assigned to Triple-A after clearing waivers, the Halos announced. He hasn’t panned out as hoped since signing a $1.375MM deal over the winter, and it doesn’t appear as if the club will end up tendering him a contract this fall. Nava owns a .235/.309/.303 slash over 136 plate appearances on the year, and he is now two seasons removed from the solid offensive numbers he put up with the Red Sox. Still, the 33-year-old’s high-on-base approach would hold plenty of appeal if he can get back on track.
- The Indians have inked lefty Colt Hynes to a minor league pact, according to the Plain Dealer’s Paul Hoynes (via Twitter). Hynes, 31, will head to Triple-A Columbus. The southpaw reliever has spent the last two years with the Blue Jays organization, briefly appearing in the majors last year. He has carried a sub-3.50 ERA at Triple-A each year, and was especially impressive this season. Over his 37 frames, Hynes retired 10.5 batters per nine via the strikeout while issuing only 1.7 BB/9.
Phillies To Promote Jake Thompson
As had been widely expected, the Phillies will promote righty Jake Thompson to the big leagues for the first time, per Ryan Lawrence of the Philly Voice (Twitter link). He’ll make his debut start on Saturday.
The move is partially tied to Philly’s placement of fellow young righty Aaron Nola on the 15-day DL, which opened a rotation spot. But the real driver is Thompson’s performance. Over his 129 2/3 innings on the year in his first attempt at Triple-A, Thompson carries a 2.50 ERA with 6.0 K/9 and 2.6 BB/9.
While that strikeout rate isn’t all that compelling, Philadelphia obviously felt it was time to give him a shot at the game’s highest level. The Phils are quickly building a formidable young rotation, and the organization surely hopes not only to give Thompson his first taste of the majors, but also to get a sense of how ready he will be to shoulder a full starter’s load in 2017.
In years past, Thompson has seen his name in headlines this time of year for rather a different reason. After being shipped from the Tigers to the Rangers in 2014’s Joakim Soria deal, Thompson went to the Phils last summer as a piece of the Cole Hamels package. Thompson will again be looking for a new place to stay this August, but this time it’ll be with the same organization.
A second-round pick in the 2012 draft, Thompson has rated as a leaguewide, top-100 prospect entering each of the last two seasons. There are varying ways to characterize his potential, with some giving him a shot at harnessing his four-pitch mix to become a top-of-the-rotation presence and others viewing him more as a durable, solid piece who has a somewhat limited ceiling.
The Phillies will soon begin to get an idea of just what they have in Thompson, who was arguably the key piece in the Hamels swap. Philadelphia’s big league roster already features three very promising young hurlers in Nola, Jerad Eickhoff, and Vincent Velasquez, and Thompson will be bidding to take up a similar place in a new-look staff.
Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images
Mariners Place Steve Cishek On DL With Hip Labrum Tear
5:38pm: Cishek says that it’s actually only a small tear that won’t require surgery, so he may be back after the 15-day minimum, as Ryan Divish of the Seattle Times tweets.
4:58pm: The Mariners announced a series of roster moves today that will shake up the team’s pitching mix. In particular, just-deposed closer Steve Cishek has been placed on the DL with a left hip labrum tear.
Just acquired lefty Ariel Miranda and righty Blake Parker are joining the major league roster. Righty Donn Roach was optioned to open one active roster spot, with Mayckol Guaipe released to free up a slot on the 40-man.
[Related: Updated Mariners Depth Chart]
Cishek signed with Seattle for two years and $10MM over the winter. He has been solid, posting a 3.40 ERA with 11.7 K/9 and 3.0 BB/9 in his 47 2/3 innings, though he recently lost the closer’s gig after some shaky outings. Cishek did manage to trigger a $500K bonus by recording over 35 games finished before that point, though he’ll miss out on a chance to earn yet more cash through that portion of his contract.
It’s not yet clear what kind of outlook there is for Cishek’s injury, but it certainly sounds like a season-ending type of injury (though it’s not yet clear if surgery is required). Pitchers who have had the ailment in recent years include Tim Lincecum and Michael Pineda; Dan Wade of the Hardball Times provides ample detail on the subject. Seattle will certainly hope that Cishek isn’t out that long, particularly since he’s still under contract for another campaign.
The 25-year-old Guaipe has thrown 34 frames for the big league team over the last two years, but the results haven’t been great. He owns a 5.29 ERA in that span, allowing 42 hits and 17 walks while recording 27 strikeouts. Guaipe has shown well in the upper minors, though, with a 2.87 ERA and 7.1 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 over 59 2/3 Triple-A frames since the start of 2015.
Pirates Activate Ryan Vogelsong, Release Wilfredo Boscan
The Pirates have released righty Wilfredo Boscan, per a team announcement. His 40-man spot will go to Ryan Vogelsong, who’ll return after surgery for facial fractures. Infielder Max Moroff was optioned to free up an active-roster slot.
[Related: Updated Pirates Depth Chart]
Boscan, 26, didn’t impress in his first crack at the major league level. But he has shown some promise in the upper minors, including a 3.07 ERA last year at Triple-A. Over his 84 frames in the International League in 2016, Boscan posted a 3.75 ERA with 5.5 K/9 and 1.5 BB/9.
As for Vogelsong, it’s certainly great to see him back in action after he was struck in the face by a pitch in late May. The 39-year-old, who signed with the Bucs for a $2MM guarantee as a free agent, has a 3.74 ERA with 16 strikeouts and ten walks over 21 2/3 innings.
Vogelsong’s tale is well known, but remains remarkable. After struggling for several years with the Giants and then the Bucs, he played for three years in Japan and another in the upper minors before breaking out with San Francisco in 2011. He settled in as a durable innings-eater after two high-quality campaigns, and remains a useful pitcher as he nears his fortieth birthday.
Indians Claim Michael Martinez, Designate Tyler Olson
The Indians have claimed utilityman Michael Martinez off waivers from the Red Sox, per a team announcement. To clear a 40-man roster spot, the Indians designated lefty Tyler Olson for assignment.
Boston had actually added Martinez from Cleveland not long ago, and now sends him back. The 33-year-old switch-hitter has just 70 MLB plate appearances on the year, over which he carries a .273/.304/.364 batting line.
That doesn’t sound like much production, and it isn’t, but it actually stands quite a bit higher than Martinez’s career .515 OPS in 542 plate appearances. He has continued to draw interest from organizations, though, because of his defensive versatility. Martinez has lined up at every position except for first, pitcher, and catcher.
Olson, 26, was himself a recent waiver mover, with the Indians representing his third team on the year. He has reached the majors, but has received only minimal time there. Over his 95 1/3 career Triple-A innings, Olson has pitched to a 4.81 ERA with 7.7 K/9 against 3.0 B/9.
Rays Claim Bobby Wilson, Option Curt Casali
The Rays announced today that they’ve claimed catcher Bobby Wilson off waivers from the Rangers following his DFA on Monday and, in a corresponding move, optioned fellow backstop Curt Casali to Triple-A Durham. Wilson was designated for assignment following Texas’ acquisition of Jonathan Lucroy from the Brewers.
Wilson, 33, got off to a hot start for the Rangers this season but has cooled considerably, leaving him with an overall slash line of .241/.270/.333 through 156 trips to the plate. As a career .212/.268/.309 hitter, Wilson’s overall production in 2016 is a bit of a step up from his career marks, though it still checks in below that of a league-average catcher. He’s struggled a bit to control the running game, catching just 18 percent of opponents that attempted to steal this season. He has, however, been an above-average pitch framer for quite some time in the estimation of Baseball Prospectus.
Casali, 27, has displayed some pop this season with seven homers and seven doubles in 207 plate appearances, but he’s hitting just .169/.255/.322 on the whole and has punched out in exactly one third of his plate appearances this season.
Padres Claim Patrick Kivlehan From Mariners
The Padres have claimed infielder/outfielder Patrick Kivlehan off waivers from the Mariners, the teams announced today. Kivlehan, 26, has been optioned to Triple-A El Paso, according to the Padres.
Kivlehan has split the 2016 season between the Mariners and Rangers after being traded between the two teams twice. He originally went from Seattle to Texas along with Tom Wilhelmsen in the Leonys Martin trade, but the Rangers designated him for assignment and wound up sending him back to the Mariners in exchange for a player to be named later or cash considerations on May 29. (A subsequent announcement of a player going to Texas in exchange never materialized, so it seems likely that the Rangers picked up cash in the swap). In 321 plate appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for the Mariners and Rangers this season, Kivlehan batted .242/.291/.399 with nine homers and 16 doubles.
Kivelhan has played primarily third base throughout his minor league career, but he also has several hundred innings of work at first base, left field and right field. The Friars announced him only as an outfielder in their release, though that’s not necessarily an indication of how San Diego plans to deploy him for the remainder of the season.
Brewers Claim Ben Rowen From Blue Jays
The Blue Jays announced that right-hander Ben Rowen, who was designated for assignment by Toronto following Monday’s acquisitions of Francisco Liriano and Scott Feldman, has been claimed off waivers by the Brewers. He’ll head to Triple-A, according to an announcement from the Brewers.
Rowen, 27, has spent the entire season with Toronto’s Triple-A affiliate and posted a very strong 2.47 ERA with 6.3 K/9 against 2.1 BB/9 in 47 1/3 innings of relief. Rowen’s submarine arm slot makes it exceptionally difficult to elevate the ball against him, as evidenced by the mere eight home runs he’s surrendered in 374 innings at the minor league level (0.2 HR/9). He’s generated ground-balls at a 64.9 percent rate this season at the Triple-A level and boasts a strong 1.85 ERA in his minor league career.
Minor MLB Transactions: 8/3/16
Here are the day’s minor moves:
- Outfielder Craig Gentry is a free agent after rejecting an outright assignment from the Angels, Pedro Moura of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The hope was that the 32-year-old would combine with Daniel Nava to provide a solid left field platoon, but both players ended up being designated at the same time. Ultimately, Gentry was limited by injury and appeared in only 14 games, failing to hit in that short sample — much as he did last year. Before that, the veteran had been a sturdy, glove-first outfielder who was capable at times of slightly above-average offensive production.
- Fellow Angels outfielder Todd Cunningham, who was recently designated, has been assigned to Triple-A after clearing waivers for the third time this year, Jeff Fletcher of the Orange County Register adds on Twitter. The 27-year-old, who was acquired from the Braves during the offseason, has struggled in limited MLB playing time in three of the last four years. The former second-round draft pick owns a .275/.348/.368 batting line over 1,698 Triple-A plate appearances.
- Giants infielder Grant Green cleared outright waivers, Alex Pavlovic of CSN Bay Area tweets. Now 28, Green was once considered a quality prospect with the Halos but hasn’t managed to gain any traction at the major league level. He slashed .261/.300/.370 in his fifty plate appearances this year with the Giants.
- The Giants have agreed to a minor league deal with catcher Tony Sanchez, per SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo (via Twitter). Recently released by the Blue Jays, Sanchez will help bolster San Francisco’s catching depth after the team dealt away Andrew Susac. Sanchez’s prospect star has faded over recent years, and was cut loose by Toronto after putting up a meager .201/.292/.309 slash in 168 Triple-A plate appearances this year.