Twins Release Kevin Jepsen
JULY 11: The Twins have released Jepsen, tweets Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
JULY 3: The Twins have designated right-handed reliever Kevin Jepsen for assignment, reports LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune (Twitter link). To replace Jepsen on its roster, the club has recalled outfielder Eddie Rosario from Triple-A Rochester, tweets Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
[Related: Updated Twins Depth Chart]
Jepsen, whom the Twins acquired from the Rays for minor league righties Chih-Wei Hu and Alexis Tapia at last year’s trade deadline, is in the midst of his worst major league season. Aside from his 3.52 walk rate per nine innings, which matches his career total, most of the longtime Angel’s numbers have dropped off precipitously this year. It’s no surprise, then, that his stint filling in for injured closer Glen Perkins went poorly. Over 30 2/3 innings with the Twins this season, the 31-year-old Jepsen posted a 6.16 ERA, 6.46 K/9, 30.2 percent ground-ball rate and blew four of 11 save opportunities.
For his career, Jepsen has recorded a 3.83 ERA, 8.31 K/9 and 46.4 percent grounder rate in 381 major league frames. The fact that Jepsen is fresh off his best two-year stretch makes his decline this season more surprising, as he pitched to a 2.47 ERA and backed that with an 8.96 K/9, 3.34 BB/9 and 46.6 percent grounder mark from 2014-15.
Jepsen’s average fastball velocity has fallen since 2014, though it’s still at 94 mph. Given his velo and recent viability as a late-game option, Jepsen could catch on with another team for the stretch run. If he clears waivers and then signs elsewhere, the Twins will owe Jepsen the remaining portion of his $5,312,500 salary – which is $2.64MM, per Mike Berardino of the Pioneer Press – minus the prorated league-minimum amount he’d earn from his next club.
Indians Release Joba Chamberlain
The Indians have released veteran reliever Joba Chamberlain, according to the team’s official transactions page. MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reports (Twitter link) that Chamberlain elected to become a free agent rather than an accept an outright assignment to the minors. Cleveland designated Chamberlain for assignment earlier this week.
Chamberlain posted a 2.25 ERA in 20 innings out of the Tribe’s bullpen this season, though ERA predictors (3.83 FIP, 4.27 xFIP, 4.35 SIERA) weren’t as impressed with the right-hander’s work. Chamberlain benefited from a .216 BABIP and he had some control issues, as evidenced by a 4.95 BB/9. Still, the 30-year-old posted an 8.10 K/9 and 52.9% grounder rate, and was still averaging 93.4 mph on his fastball.
It was exactly one year ago that Chamberlain was released by the Tigers, and he has since pitched for the Blue Jays (in the minors), Royals and Indians in that timeframe. Despite his rather up-and-down track record as a reliever, Chamberlain’s 2016 numbers and past status as one of the game’s top prospects make him a pretty good bet to catch on with another team in need of bullpen help. Chamberlain guaranteed himself a $1MM salary for 2016 (plus $2MM in incentives) by making Cleveland’s roster, so the Tribe will be on the hook for the approximately $460K still owed, while another team can sign Chamberlain for just a prorated minimum salary.
Braves Outright Emilio Bonifacio
TODAY: Bonifacio has been outrighted off the Braves’ 40-man roster and assigned to Triple-A, SB Nation’s Chris Cotillo tweets. Bonifacio had the option of rejecting this assignment and becoming a free agent, but he will indeed head to Gwinnett.
THURSDAY: The Braves announced this afternoon that they’ve activated infielder Gordon Beckham from the disabled list and designated veteran utilityman Emilio Bonifacio for assignment in order to clear a spot on the roster.
Bonifacio, 31, was brought up to the Majors last month after opening the season in Triple-A. He appeared in 15 games with Atlanta in what was his second stint with the Braves (he also played for Atlanta back in 2012) and batted .129/.206/.129 in 36 trips to the plate this time around. The fleet-footed Bonifacio has enjoyed better results at Triple-A Gwinnett this season, hitting .271/.321/.319 in 252 trips to the plate. Assuming he’s outrighted, Bonifacio has the necessary service time to reject an assignment to a minor league club in favor of free agency, though it’s not uncommon for veterans in his spot to accept an outright assignment.
In parts of 10 big league seasons, Bonifacio is a career .257/.314/.334 that has averaged 34 stolen bases per 162 games played.
Minor MLB Transactions: 7/10/16
Sunday’s minor transactions from around baseball:
- The Orioles have outrighted right-hander David Hale off their 40-man roster and assigned him to Triple-A Norfolk, the team announced. The Orioles claimed Hale off waivers from the Rockies in April, but he didn’t throw a pitch for Baltimore prior to the club outrighting him. The 28-year-old swingman has a 4.48 ERA, 6.04 K/9, 3.12 BB/9 and 52 percent ground-ball rate in 178 2/3 career major league innings.
- The Brewers have traded minor league righty Jaye Chapman to the Rays for cash, per an official announcement. The Rays will be the fourth organization for the 29-year-old Chapman, who has also spent time at various minor league levels with the Braves and Cubs. Since Atlanta selected Chapman in the 16th round of the 2005 draft, the reliever has logged a 3.94 ERA, 9.5 K/9 and 4.1 BB/9 in 486 2/3 minor league innings. Chapman’s only major league experience came in 2012 as a member of the Cubs, with whom he threw 12 frames.
Phillies Designate Mario Hollands For Assignment
The Phillies have designated left-hander Mario Hollands for assignment, the team announced.
Hollands has thus far spent his entire career as part of the Philadelphia organization, which picked him in the 10th round of the 2010 draft. The 27-year-old’s only major league experience came over a fairly extensive sample size in 2014, as he amassed 47 innings of 4.40 ERA pitching to go with a 6.7 K/9, 4.02 BB/9 and 51.2 percent ground-ball rate. As a minor leaguer, Hollands has totaled 115 appearances (67 starts) and 431 1/2 innings. He owns a 3.92 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 outside the majors.
Phillies Release Yoervis Medina
The Phillies have released right-handed reliever Yoervis Medina, reports Matt Eddy of Baseball America (Twitter link). Philadelphia originally acquired Medina from the Pirates in exchange for left-hander Jesse Biddle over the winter.
Medina, who hurt his elbow in March, hasn’t appeared in the majors this season. The hard-throwing 27-year-old’s only action has come in rookie ball for Philly, where he tossed four innings. He previously threw a combined 21 major league frames as a member of the Mariners and Cubs last season, logging a 4.71 ERA, 6.86 K/9 and 4.71 BB/9. Medina is perhaps best known for the strong results he delivered with the Mariners from 2013-14. During that two-year stretch, he racked up 125 innings and recorded a 2.81 ERA, 9.4 K/9, 4.9 BB/9 and 53.5 percent ground-ball rate.
Pirates Sign Josh Outman To Minor League Deal
The Pirates have signed free agent left-hander Josh Outman to a minor league contract, per a team announcement. The Turner Gary Sports client will head to Triple-A Indianapolis. While Outman likely faces long odds of returning to the majors, it’s worth noting that the Pirates only have one southpaw in their bullpen, as their depth chart shows.
Outman, 31, last saw major league action in 2014. As a member of the Indians and Yankees that year, he combined for 40 appearances and posted a terrific 2.86 ERA and solid 53.9 percent ground-ball rate in 28 1/3 innings. However, a 5.08 BB/9 offset his 8.26 K/9 somewhat and he benefited from an 87.2 percent strand rate. Outman, who dealt with thoracic outlet syndrome last season but has now recovered from the issue, spent some of the year in the Braves organization and amassed 8 2/3 frames across four minor league levels. He opened this season with the independent Atlantic League’s New Britain Bees.
On the whole, Outman has recorded a 4.43 ERA, 7.41 K/9, 3.77 BB/9 and 43.8 percent ground-ball mark over 274 1/3 major league innings. Thirty-two of his 161 appearances have come in the form of starts, mostly with the Athletics from 2008-11. His latest start in the majors came back in 2012 with the Rockies.
Indians Claim Tyler Olson From Royals
The Indians have announced that they’ve claimed lefty Tyler Olson from the Royals and optioned him to Triple-A Columbus. The Royals designated Olson for assignment last week.
Olson has had a busy few months moving from organization to organization — the Dodgers and then Yankees acquired him in minor deals over the offseason, and the Royals claimed him last month. The 26-year-old appeared briefly for the Mariners last year and with the Yankees this year, mainly throwing in the upper 80s in his big-league stints. He’s pitched for two Triple-A teams this season, posting a 4.81 ERA, 6.1 K/9 and 2.7 BB/9 over 33 2/3 innings mostly spent in relief.
Notable Draft Signings: 7/9/16
Here are today’s notable draft signings.
- The Angels have signed No. 60 overall pick Brandon Marsh for the slot value of $1,073,300, Jon Heyman tweets. The Georgia high school outfielder was committed to Kennesaw State. Various reports prior to the draft indicated he was signable, although he said at one point last month that he would not sign. MLB.com ranked Marsh the No. 48 prospect available in the draft, with Baseball America ranking him No. 59. BA’s subscription-only writeup compares him to Colby Rasmus and praises his speed, arm and hitting potential. The Angels have now signed all their picks in the first ten rounds.
White Sox Place Carlos Rodon On DL With Sprained Wrist
The White Sox have announced that they’ve placed lefty starter Carlos Rodon on the 15-day DL. Via Daryl Van Schouwen of the Chicago Sun-Times (on Twitter), the move is retroactive to July 6 and is due to a sprained left wrist. They’ve promoted righty Tommy Kahnle to take his place on the active roster.
The White Sox had already elected to skip Rodon’s last start due to neck and arm discomfort, although it appears his current situation is unrelated — via the Chicago Tribune’s Chris Kuc (on Twitter), Rodon injured his wrist Friday after he slipped on the dugout steps. There is no indication yet of the seriousness of his current injury, but with the All-Star break coming up, it would appear to at least be possible that his stay on the DL could result in him missing little time.
It’s been an uneven sophomore season for the 2014 third overall pick, who’s maintained a strong 8.9 K/9 and has significantly reduced his walk rate to 3.1 BB/9 but has had serious issues with home runs, giving up 15 in 92 innings. All the home runs, plus a .349 BABIP, have led to a 4.50 ERA that rates as worse than league average. Still, Rodon has maintained his solid velocity this season (with an average fastball velocity of 93.0 MPH), and he’s been deadly against lefties (.552 OPS against), thanks to his plus slider.