Royals Designate Dusty Coleman, Yohan Pino
The Royals announced on Monday that they have designated right-hander Yohan Pino and infielder Dusty Coleman for assignment to clear space on the 40-man roster for right-handers Joba Chamberlain and Louis Coleman, whose contracts have been selected from Triple-A.
The 31-year-old Pino signed a Major League contract this offseason despite his status as a minor league free agent and wound up pitching 19 2/3 innings for the Royals. In that time, he was effective, notching a 3.26 ERA with a 13-to-3 K/BB ratio. This marks the journeyman’s second season in which he’s accrued some big league service time; Pino debuted as a 30-year-old rookie with the Twins in 2014 and soaked up 60 1/3 innings for an ailing Minnesota pitching staff, posting 5.07 ERA along the way.
Dusty Coleman, 28, made his big league debut this season, though he received just five at-bats and went hitless with three strikeouts. The former 28th-round pick signed a minor league deal with the Royals this winter after spending the 2008-14 seasons with the Athletics organization. He has a lifetime .276/.321/.408 slash line at the Triple-A level.
Chamberlain and Louis Coleman will serve as bullpen depth for manager Ned Yost in the season’s final month. Chamberlain began the season on his second consecutive one-year free agent deal with the Tigers, but his second-half struggles from 2014 carried over into the 2015 campaign, ultimately leading to his release. He briefly latched on with Toronto on a minor league deal but opted out of the deal after struggling at Triple-A. With Kansas City’s Triple-A affiliate in his native Nebraska, Chamberlain posted a solid 9-to-2 K/BB ratio but surrendered five runs in seven innings of work.
As for the elder of the two Colemans in this post (Louis), he will be in his fifth stint with Kansas City’s big league ‘pen. The LSU product appeared in the Royals’ bullpen each year from 2010-14, totaling 174 1/3 innings with a 3.25 ERA, 9.6 K/9 and 3.9 BB/9. However, he struggled to a 5.56 ERA in 34 innings last season, prompting a DFA and outright to Triple-A Omaha.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/6/15
Here are the latest minor moves from around baseball, with the newest transactions at the top of the post…
- Astros right-hander Jake Buchanan has cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A, MLB.com’s Brian McTaggart reports (via Twitter). Houston designated Buchanan for assignment earlier this week. Buchanan has allowed two runs in nine relief innings for the Astros this season, and he has a 4.06 ERA, 5.1 K/9 and 1.56 K/BB over 44 1/3 career frames.
- Check out the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker to keep up on the status of several players awaiting their next assignments.
Orioles Claim Andy Wilkins, Designate Cesar Cabral
The Orioles have claimed first baseman Andy Wilkins off waivers from the Dodgers, the team announced. Wilkins, who was designated for assignment by Los Angeles earlier this week, will be optioned to Triple-A Norfolk. In a corresponding move, left-hander Cesar Cabral has been designated for assignment.
Wilkins has a .251/.315/.447 slash line over 497 plate appearances at Triple-A this season, split between the Dodgers’ and Blue Jays’ affiliates. The move to Baltimore completes a busy few months for Wilkins, as he was also taken off waivers from the White Sox by the Jays back in March. Wilkins made his MLB debut last season appearing in 17 games with Chicago but hasn’t since returned to the Show.
Cabral, 26, signed a minor league deal with the Orioles last winter and he has posted a 4.95 ERA, 9.7 K/9 and 2.29 K/BB rate over 40 relief innings at Triple-A. He also had a two-game cup of coffee on Baltimore’s roster in June.
Cabral joins seven other players currently in DFA limbo, which you can follow via the MLB Trade Rumors DFA Tracker.
Blue Jays Claim Matt Dominguez, Designate Danny Dorn
The Blue Jays have claimed third baseman Matt Dominguez off waivers from the Brewers, the team announced (h/t to Ben Nicholson-Smith of Sportsnet.ca, on Twitter). Toronto has designated first baseman/outfielder Danny Dorn to clear roster space for the move.
Still just 26 years of age, and once a top prospect, Dominguez was unable to lock down a big league job despite a long look from the Astros. He was claimed off waivers by Milwaukee earlier in the year, in hopes that he’d provide a near-term option with some upside, but apparently has not shown enough to warrant a call-up from the Brewers.
Dorn, 31, has had an eventful year after nine seasons exclusively in the minors. After seeing a brief debut with the Daimondbacks, he was claimed by Toronto and will presumably now find another new organization. Dorn owns a lifetime .280/.355/.485 slash with 106 home runs over 2,847 plate appearances at the Triple-A level.
Dodgers Designate Daniel Coulombe, Recall Chris Heisey
The Dodgers have designated lefty Daniel Coulombe for assignment, Dylan Hernandez of MLB.com reports on Twitter. His roster spot will go to outfielder Chris Heisey, who was recalled from Triple-A.
Coulombe, 25, has appeared in ten games over the past two seasons for Los Angeles, working to a 6.39 ERA with 11 strikeouts and eight walks in 12 2/3 innings. The southpaw reliever has, however, been much better in the upper minors. This year, he’s thrown 41 1/3 frames of 3.27 ERA pitching with 8.9 K/9 against 5.2 BB/9. He had maintained double-digit strikeout-per-nine numbers over his previous three seasons in the minors.
As for Heisey, he’ll once again appear with the Dodgers after going up and down several times earlier in the year and spending some time with the Blue Jays. The 30-year-old has only 34 big league plate appearances on the year after spending the previous four seasons as a frequent part-timer with the Reds.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/5/15
Here are today’s minor moves from around the league.
- The Giants have outrighted outfielders Justin Maxwell and Ryan Lollis to Triple-A Sacramento, John Shea of the San Francisco Chronicle tweets. They had designated both for assignment last week. The veteran Maxwell is a solid defender but a somewhat light hitter who batted .209/.275/.341 in 274 plate appearances in the big leagues this year. It’s unclear whether he’ll accept the Giants’ assignment. The 28-year-old Lollis has had a breakout season in the minors, batting .325/.377/.459 in 299 plate appearances for Sacramento, but he had a somewhat sketchy track record before that and only has 13 plate appearances’ worth of big-league experience.
- The Cubs have released veteran reliever Rafael Soriano, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets. They had designated him for assignment in a flurry of roster moves last Tuesday. Soriano, 35, did not sign until June and then pitched only 5 2/3 innings for Chicago, allowing four runs before hitting the DL with shoulder trouble. Soriano has a 2.89 ERA, 9.1 K/9 and 2.8 BB/9 in 14 seasons also spent with the Mariners, Braves, Rays, Yankees and Nationals.
- The Rays have outrighted infielder Hak-Ju Lee to Triple-A Durham, Marc Topkin of the Tampa Bay Times tweets. Lee, a former top prospect and a key part of the 2011 Matt Garza trade between the Rays and Cubs, has struggled to hit at Durham in recent seasons, posting a .220/.303/.304 line in 360 plate appearances there in 2015. (Of course, the Rays still did just fine in that deal, also getting Chris Archer and Brandon Guyer.) The Rays designated him for assignment on Tuesday.
- The Orioles have selected the contract of veteran outfielder Nolan Reimold, Roch Kubatko of MASNsports.com writes. The Orioles outrighted Reimold last week, but as Eduardo A. Encina of the Baltimore Sun tweets, Reimold accepted the outright after the Orioles told him they would promote him this month. As Kubatko points out, the righty might prove useful as the O’s face two lefties (David Price and Mark Buehrle) this weekend. He’s hit .227/.306/.340 in 108 plate appearances with Baltimore this season.
White Sox Claim Mike Olt From Cubs
The White Sox have claimed Mike Olt from the Cubs, MLB.com’s Carrie Muskat tweets. The Cubs designated Olt for assignment last week when they acquired outfielder Austin Jackson. They originally acquired Olt from the Rangers when they sent Matt Garza to Texas in 2013. At the time, Olt was a well regarded young player who had hit for good power in the minors, but he struggled at the Triple-A level after arriving in the Cubs system. He got an extended shot in the Majors last season and didn’t hit well, batting .160/.248/.356 in 258 plate appearances (although he did hit 12 homers). This year, he’s hit .265/.333/.460 in 235 plate appearances at Triple-A, missing time early in the season due to a wrist injury.
With Kris Bryant at third base, Anthony Rizzo at first and plenty of young talent elsewhere, it appeared unlikely Olt would get many more chances with the Cubs. Now 27, he’ll attempt to revive his career with the Cubs’ crosstown rivals. The White Sox should be able to provide more opportunities at third base — the team currently has Tyler Saladino and Gordon Beckham at third, neither of whom have hit well this year.
Mariners Outright Lucas Luetge
The Mariners have announced that they’ve outrighted lefty Lucas Luetge to Triple-A Tacoma. The Mariners’ 40-man roster now contains 39 players.
The 28-year-old Luetge was a relatively productive part of the Mariners’ bullpen in 2012 after they took him from the Brewers in the Rule 5 Draft. He also made 35 big-league appearances in 2013. Since then, though, he’s played sparingly at the Major League level and has struggled with walks in his infrequent appearances. He’s spent most of this season with Tacoma and hasn’t gotten great results, posting a 5.69 ERA, 6.8 K/9 and 4.2 BB/9 in 49 innings there. For his big-league career, Luetge has a 4.35 ERA, 7.5 K/9 and 4.8 BB/9 in 74 innings.
Minor MLB Transactions: 9/4/15
Here are Friday’s minor moves from around the league…
- Two Angels ballplayers — righty Drew Rucinski and outfielder Alfredo Marte — have cleared waivers and been outrighted to Triple-A, Mike DiGiovanna of the Los Angeles Times tweets. The pair was designated on September 1st as Los Angeles cleared out 40-man space for its September call-ups.
- Righty Dylan Axelrod was outrighted by the Reds, C. Trent Rosecrans of the Cincinnati Enquirer reports on Twitter. The 30-year-old, a former starter with the White Sox, has worked 30 2/3 innings of 4.70 ERA pitching out of the Cincinnati pen over the last two seasons.
- The Phillies announced that they’ve selected the contract of outfielder Brian Bogusevic and transferred left-hander Elvis Araujo to the 60-day disabled list in order to clear a spot for him on the 40-man roster. Bogusevic, 31, has had a nice season at the Triple-A level with Philadelphia, hitting .296/.359/.424 with 12 homers and 24 steals. He has a fair amount of MLB experience under his belt — most recently with the Cubs in 2013, when he slashed .273/.323/.462 in 155 plate appearances. Araujo strained his groin and landed on the 15-day DL late last month, so by transferring him to the 60-day DL, the Phils have effectively ended his season.
Rockies Activate Justin Morneau, Designate Matt McBride
The Rockies have designated outfielder/first baseman Matt McBride for assignment, Patrick Saunders of the Denver Post tweets. His roster spot was needed for Justin Morneau, who was activated from the 60-day DL.
After putting up an excellent 2014 campaign, Morneau lasted just 104 plate appearances this season before going down with head and neck issues. Given his history of concussion difficulties, he and the team understandably took a cautious approach.
With a month to go this year, Morneau will have a chance to rebuild his value somewhat. He had not hit terribly well even before the injury — his .290/.317/.450 batting line looks good at first glance, but is actually below league average when adjusted to account for Coors Field. And he’ll be entering his age-35 season in 2016.
As things stand, it seems likely that Colorado will spend $750K to buy out the $9MM mutual option that remains on Morneau’s contract. In that case, he’d once again hit the open market, and surely would attract a host of teams looking to take a chance on him.
McBride, 30, has not done much with his limited playing time this year. He continues to deliver solid results at the Triple-A level, but has never earned an extended look in the big leagues. McBride is the last part of the return for Ubaldo Jimenez left in Colorado, though of course he’s previously been outrighted off of the 40-man roster.