Reds Return Rule 5 Pick Jake Cave To Yankees
Reds’ Rule 5 selection Jake Cave has been sent back to the Yankees, MLB.com’s Matt Kardos reports on Twitter. It appears that New York is accepting his return, as Cave is said to be heading to Triple-A.
Cincinnati had designated Cave for assignment on Sunday, but he’s obviously cleared waivers already. The 23-year-old hasn’t shown much pop in his recent minor league results or his relatively extensive spring action with the Reds. But as MLBTR’s Brad Johnson explained in previewing the Rule 5 festivities, Cave could still turn into a useful player, particularly if he can tap into some of the power and speed tools he’s shown at times.
Phillies Release Ernesto Frieri
The Phillies have released veteran righty Ernesto Frieri, as Triple-A director of media relations & broadcasting Matt Provence noted on Twitter. Frieri had seemed set to open the season with Lehigh Valley, but will instead head back to the open market.
It’s been some time since Frieri was an effective major league reliever, and he wasn’t able to show enough this spring to stick with the Philadelphia organization. Once a high-strikeout, late-inning option, Frieri’s velocity and swinging strike rates plummeted last year with the Rays. Though he did retire eight batters by way of strikeout this spring, he also allowed nine earned runs and five long balls in his seven innings of action.
Indians Select Joba Chamberlain’s Contract, Designate James Ramsey
The Indians announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Joba Chamberlain and designated outfielder James Ramsey for assignment in order to clear a spot on the 40-man roster. Additionally, catcher Roberto Perez has been cleared to play after undergoing concussion tests following a foul tip to the mask on Sunday.
Chamberlain, 30, inked a minor league deal with Cleveland this offseason and earned a spot on the club with a Spring Training that featured mixed results (MLB.com’s Jordan Bastian reported in late March, however, that Chamberlain would make the club). Chamberlain yielded just three runs and struck out eight batters in 10 innings, but he also yielded a troublesome seven walks.
That type of control problem has never been much of a problem for Chamberlain, but the righty has endured his share of struggles over the past few seasons. Chamberlain logged a 4.93 ERA in 2013 in his final season with the Yankees, and after a strong first half in 2014 with the Tigers, he wilted and posted a 4.97 ERA down the stretch. Last year, he began the season with Detroit once again and posted a 4.09 ERA in 22 innings before being designated for assignment and eventually working back to the Majors with Kansas City, where he surrendered five runs in 5 2/3 innings. His Triple-A work wasn’t any better, as Chamberlain surrendered a combined 13 earned runs in 12 Triple-A frames between the Jays (for whom he never appeared in the Majors) and Royals. He’ll look for better results in Cleveland this season.
Ramsey, meanwhile, is a former first-round draft pick — 23rd overall by the Cardinals in 2012. St. Louis traded the outfielder to the Indians in exchange for Justin Masterson at the 2014 trade deadline. Ramsey was impressive in 2014 following the trade, but he batted just .243/.327/.382 in 503 Triple-A plate appearances as a 25-year-old at the Triple-A level last season. Baseball America ranked him as Cleveland’s No. 23 prospect this winter, noting that while he lacks standout tools, he has an intelligent approach that helps the tools he does have to play up. BA, however, noted that Ramsey could ultimately prove to be a fourth outfielder or platoon bat due to struggles against left-handed pitching. MLB.com rated him 27th among Cleveland farmhands, similarly noting that his ability to play all three outfield spots could make him a fourth outfielder.
The DFA of Ramsey comes just four and a half months after the FSU product was added to Cleveland’s 40-man roster to protect him from the Rule 5 Draft. A Spring Training effort that saw Ramsey go just 2-for-21 with 10 strikeouts against one walk certainly couldn’t have helped his chances at remaining on the 40-man roster. He’ll now join 14 other players in DFA limbo, though Cleveland presumably hopes that he’ll clear waivers and remain in the organization.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/4/16
Here are the latest minor moves from around the league…
- The Blue Jays outrighted Jesus Montero and Junior Lake to Triple-A Buffalo over the weekend, as MLB.com’s Gregor Chisholm writes. Both were picked up by Toronto on waivers, and each went unclaimed after the Jays again ran them through waivers shortly thereafter, allowing Toronto to retain the pair despite both being out of minor league options. Montero, of course, was formerly one of baseball’s elite prospects in his Yankees days, and he went to Seattle in the now-lopsided Michael Pineda swap. The catcher-turned-first-baseman has yet to hit much in the Majors and was waived by Seattle this spring, though he could emerge as a nice platoon option in Toronto at the very least. At 26, it’s not out of the question that he could still emerge as a productive bat. (Toronto has had its share of success in late-blooming right-handed sluggers, after all.) Lake, meanwhile, enjoyed a strong rookie season with the Cubs in 2013 when he hit .284/.332/.428 in 254 plate appearances. However, the outfielder has batted just .209/.244/.345 in 410 PAs since that time. Like Montero, he’s 26 years of age and will hope for a shot at establishing himself in the hitter-friendly confines of Toronto’s Rogers Centre at some point this season.
- The Twins released left-hander Aaron Thompson out of minor league camp at the end of Spring Training, as Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press writes. The 29-year-old Thompson broke camp with Minnesota in 2015 and wound up tallying 32 1/3 innings as a member of the Twins bullpen. However, after allowing one run in his first 11 innings (buoyed by an unsustainable .129 BABIP), Thompson logged a 7.17 ERA over 21 1/3 subsequent innings through mid-July before ultimately being sent down and outrighted. He’d re-signed with the Twins on a minor league deal this winter and will now look for a club in need of some left-handed ‘pen depth, presumably.
Notable Roster Decisions: Stephenson, Royals, Rangers
With the next wave of season openers nearly upon us, here are a few of the final notable roster decisions from around the league…
- The Reds have placed right-hander Homer Bailey on the disabled list and promoted fellow right-hander and top prospect Robert Stephenson, the club announced. However, it appears that Stephenson, who rates among the game’s 35 best minor leaguers (per Baseball America, MLB.com and ESPN’s Keith Law) will merely be making a spot start and isn’t yet being viewed as a long-term option in the rotation; C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer writes that Stephenson will likely be optioned back to Triple-A following his start, as right-hander Anthony DeSclafani will be ready to come of the DL and join the rotation on April 10. Cincinnati currently has Raisel Iglesias, Brandon Finnegan and Stephenson lined up for their season-opening series against the Phillies, with Alfredo Simon set to start the club’s fourth game of the year. DeSclafani should grab Stephenson’s spot in the rotation’s second cycle of the season, and right-hander Jon Moscot should be able to return mid-month — possibly to start on April 17. As such, Stephenson’s promotion could simply amount to a glimpse of the future for Reds fans at this time, though Cincinnati’s rotation picture is fluid enough to imagine Stephenson changing their plans with a dominant showing. Service time doesn’t figure to be a major factor here, as the Reds would only lose a year of control if Stephenson were to accrue 172 days of service this season, and a quick return to the minors would make that unlikely.
- Veteran right-hander Chien-Ming Wang made the Royals‘ roster, as MLB.com’s Jeffrey Flanagan writes. Royals pitching coach Dave Eiland, who filled that same role with the Yankees a decade ago when Wang was pitching in New York, tells Flanagan that the righty looks like the pitcher he had in his rotation 10 years ago. Wang’s velocity is said to have spiked to the mid-90s this spring, and when he does toe the rubber for the Royals, it’ll be the first time he steps foot on a Major League mound since 2013. Additionally, outfielders Reymond Fuentes and Terrance Gore have made the Kansas City roster. (Neither Wang nor Gore appeared in last night’s season opener against the Mets.)
- The Rangers assigned right-hander A.J. Griffin to Triple-A Round Rock on Sunday, but as Anthony Andro writes for MLB.com, there’s a good chance he could be recalled on Friday to serve as the club’s fifth starter. As Andro notes, the assignment could be a tactical move, as Texas doesn’t need a fifth starter until Friday, and stashing Griffin at Triple-A will allow the club to carry an extra reliever for the time being (in addition to delaying a 40-man roster decision). Griffin, though, has not yet been officially informed that he is the team’s fifth starter, Andro stresses. Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News tweets the same, adding that the lack of definitive word from the club could indicate that the Rangers are still looking at the trade market for starting pitching additions.
Minor MLB Transactions: 4/3/16
Here are the today’s minor moves from around the league:
- Utility infielder Munenori Kawasaki has been added to the Cubs 40-man roster and optioned to Triple-A, tweets Jesse Rogers of ESPN Chicago. Kawasaki, 34, will serve as middle infield depth. While he’s never been known for his bat, he generally draws positive defensive reviews at shortstop, second base, and the hot corner. Despite a lack of power, he’s also known for posting high walk rates and tolerable strikeout rates.
- Two notable minor league signings occurred earlier in the day. The White Sox inked starting pitcher Miguel Gonzalez. He was released by the Orioles earlier in the week. Meanwhile, the Angels signed reliever Neal Cotts. He was cut loose by the Astros over a week ago.
- A bevy of players were designated for assignment earlier today. Check out the MLBTR DFA Tracker to learn all the latest.
Blue Jays Acquire Chris Leroux From Phillies
4:20pm: Toronto announced that Leroux has been acquired from the Phillies in exchange for cash considerations. The 6’6″ hurler will pitch for Triple-A Buffalo.
3:34pm: The Blue Jays have acquired Chris Leroux from the Phillies, a source tells MLBTR (Twitter link). It’s not yet clear who and/or what will be going from Toronto to Philly in the swap.
The deal marks a homecoming of sorts for Leroux, who is a Montreal native. Leroux, who turns 32 later this month, last pitched in the big leagues in 2014 when he appeared in two games for the Yankees. Over parts of six big league seasons with the Marlins, Pirates, and Yankees, the hurler has a 6.03 ERA with 8.3 K/9 and 4.4 BB/9. In his 22-game stint with the Phillies’ Triple-A affiliate in 2015, Leroux posted a stronger stat line as he pitched to a 3.26 ERA with 5.9 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9.
In other Blue Jays news, the team signed Franklin Morales to a one-year, $2MM non-guaranteed deal over the weekend. And, on Friday, Mark Polishuk delivered a must-read in-depth recap of the Blue Jays’ offseason.
White Sox To Sign Miguel Gonzalez
The White Sox have agreed to sign right-hander Miguel Gonzalez to a minor league deal, according to Eduardo A. Encina of The Baltimore Sun (on Twitter).
Gonzalez was released by the Orioles late last week. The Orioles made the right-handed hurler a “competitive” offer to pitch in the minors, but he apparently felt that he had a better opportunity waiting for him in Chicago. Gonzalez also received interest from the Yankees, but it was the White Sox who made the strongest push for his services.
The 31-year-old has been a member of the Orioles’ starting five since his MLB debut in 2012. From 2012 through 2014, Gonzalez pitched to a strong 3.45 ERA with a so-so showing in K/9 (6.4) and BB/9 (2.9). However, he was unable to replicate those results in 2015 when he posted a 4.91 ERA with 6.8 K/9 and 3.2 BB/9. 144 2/3 innings. Whether Gonzalez was the beneficiary of good luck in his first three big league seasons or he just suffered a down year in ’15, he’ll look to get back to his old form in the White Sox organization.
Padres Designate Josh Martin For Assignment
The Padres announced that they have designated right-handed pitcher Josh Martin for assignment. In a related move, San Diego has selected the contract of infielder/outfielder Adam Rosales. The Padres now have 39 players on the 40-man roster.
Martin, 26, first entered the league as a tenth-round pick of the Indians in the 2012 draft. Last year, Martin ascended to Double-A Akron and pitched to a 3.07 ERA with 10.7 K/9 and 2.5 BB/9. This year, he found his way to the Padres but could not stick on their Opening Day roster.
Rosales, 33 in May, inked a minor league deal with the Padres in January. He’ll make $800K in the majors, Dennis Lin of U-T San Diego tweets.
To keep up with Martin and many more players in DFA limbo, keep an eye on MLBTR’s handy DFA Tracker.
Reds Designate Jake Cave For Assignment
The Reds announced that they have designated Jake Cave for assignment, as John Fay of The Cincinnati Enquirer tweets. Cave, 23, was waived days ago by Cincinnati but was not claimed by another team.
Cave was plucked from the Yankees’ roster in December’s Rule 5 draft but he did not make enough of an impression on Reds brass in recent weeks to warrant a roster spot. In 56 Spring Training plate appearances, Cave slashed .224/.309/.306. Meanwhile, in 132 Double-A and Triple-A games (mostly Double-A) last year, Cave drew attention with a .278/.339/.359 line.
In a December preview of the Rule 5 draft, MLBTR’s Brad Johnson highlighted Cave’s ability to play all three outfield positions and his plate discipline. However, injuries prevented the lefty from fulfilling his potential and he now profiles as a fourth outfield type.